Thieves Snatch 300+ iPhone X Models From San Francisco Apple Store

[RMo]

Damn thieves. Feel bad for those who had reservations to get their iPhone X tomorrow at that store.

If only there were an article we could read might provide more details than the headline! 😉

...customers who were planning on picking up pre-ordered devices at the Stonestown Apple Store will still get their orders.

 

[Howyalikdemapls]

And how is this “tracking” supposed to work?
(New phone is a sealed box. Not powered on...)

I mean they could be tracked after they’re powered on. I’d imagine the thieves will probably start selling the phones to people who want to use them and who will power them on.

 

[vooke]

Never heard of deactivated phones. The phones will still be functional though blacklisted. But with the whole world waiting, blacklisting only works within US
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Apple or the various carriers will get a ping whenever these phones pop up if they're in range of a tower. Apple obviously has the IMEIs and ESNs for all the phones, and even though they don't provide a way to disable stolen devices I wonder if they internally track them.

They could also just turn on lost mode on all the phones, I suppose. That would make fencing them awkward for sure.

Lost mode requires Apple ID and I’m certain none of the devices were activated and linked to any Apple ID

 

[2010mini]

See the problem is now the phones will be deactivated but the person buying from the thieves won’t know that. So the innocent eBay customer who pays 1500 for their iPhone X will be SOL. That ain’t right man. the real loser is the third party buyer.

As long as they do their research and check the imei number with Apple, they will be fine.

 

[iJandro]

I used to work at that apple store and we nicknamed it Jonestown Galleria because of the constant theft attempts at the store (mostly dumb teens trying to jack a pair of headphones).

 

[IJ Reilly]

Will the thieves post on Craigslist, etc. that they are selling these iPhone X's around the San Francisco area?

Only if they are complete morons (which doesn't seem to be the case). You don't even need to think like a thief to know that they'd be better off throwing those boxes in a car and carting them to LA or Las Vegas.

 

[QCassidy352]

Conspiracy theories. Couldn’t competitors simply buy a few instead of facing time in prison? hmmm.

“Time in prison...” not bloody likely. The criminal justice system in CA, and in SF in particular, ain’t like in most states. There’s simply no better place to commit crimes.

Is possession of stolen property a prosecutable offense if you unknowingly purchase the property in a legitimate manner?

No, it is not.

 

[mariusignorello]

$370k worth of shrink. I guess for Apple that isn’t too horrible. But still with the demand that’s bad.

 

[GadgetBen]

Dumb thieves. Stick to gold.

 

[mariusignorello]

Sure the devices can’t be tracked but that doesn’t matter at this point. If the device communicates with the activation server it will be denied passage. I believe it deals with the “lockdownd” process.

See attached image...

 

[iTone]

TRASH!

 

[44267547]

People really need to be better educated about safe practice. It’s imperative that one checks for bad serial/IMEI numbers before handing over money to unknown sellers.

But they won't become educated, because they don't have an understanding of what practices they need to have prepared before selling an iPhone, because the average consumer doesn't understand the potential outcomes of what could happen. The majority of smart phone owners have no idea what An IMEI even is, let alone to even know where to locate it. I would Also guess the majority of used phone sales are likely legitimate in person, but the only ones that will be educated in something like this, are the ones who fall victim to fraud and are educated of proper protocols after the fact.

 

[Tavicu]

Apple is probably going to block the stolen serial numbers on the activation servers.

The thieves will end up with 300 paperweights. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they figure out their stolen booty is worthless!

Neah ... Apple will never block them! Cargos are insured and also the people who will use the phones will spend money on accessories, icloud services ... etc! It’s a win win situation!

And even if they block them, the thieves will sell them and the only people who will loose are the people who will buy the phones. They will not know the phones are blocked until they will try to activate the unit!

 

[fs454]

This could have been corporate espionage by Apple competitors, I’m sure they can disassemble those 300 units and steal trade secrets for years.

Or they could just buy one or look at iFixit's teardown tomorrow?

 

[Cloudkicker]

So jailbreak them & sell them in China or India. Much like American elitists, it's a status symbol for the Chinese. Maybe they'll get more than full price for Pacific Rim bootleg sales.

Or Apple faked this for publicity. Yes. I really do have that cynical view of the company. Slimmest chance, but even if it's 1%. If they never find the bandits, I'll up it to double digits. lol

 

[HylianKnight]

Feel bad for the unsuspecting people that buy here stolen phones. Hopefully, the authorities will be able to track any online sale back to the person(s) that sells the stolen devices. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

[CarlJ]

Bingo. The thieves will get their cash, but the poor schmucks that buy them will be stuck holding the bag.

In other news, if someone in a white van offers you a good deal on an iPhone X...

(Before anyone replies, yes, I know, if the thieves have any sense they'll be sold here and there through zcraigslist and such, not from the same van. More reason to buy from a legit store. Wonder if local news coverage of this in the area will leave any scalpers stuck with non-stolen phones because their potential customers fear getting a stolen one.)
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Or Apple faked this for publicity. Yes. I really do have that cynical view of the company.

Then why are you here?

 

[nick42983]

A better description than "three men in hoodies" would be helpful, as well as that picture that was taken, but political correctness trumps public safety and justice in these situations. At least we know the truck was white.

 

[The Game 161]

feel sorry for those who are waiting at that store

 

[BvizioN]

So the innocent eBay customer who pays 1500 for their iPhone X will be SOL. That ain’t right man. the real loser is the third party buyer.

Well, there are some costumer protections offered by eBay and PayPal, not to mention that an eBay user selling stolen goods could be reported to authorities. They may sell these things in the streets. If people are daft enough to buy stuff from strangers on the street, then I think they deserve what they get. I personally think they will sell these to third party to use components for repairs and stuff.

 

[Veloist]

That’s my local Apple Store...crazy because I was going to line up there as backup if I didn’t get a launch day delivery date.

300 phones sound ridiculous. I was in line with 40 other people for the iPhone 7. They handled the launch well with free coffee and the Apple Geniuses would demonstrate cool features on iOS 10 since it was new at the time. I feel bad for them.

However, the next Apple Store which is 20 miles away south, is closed for renovation so that could be the reason why they were able to order so many.

 

[Paultmaine]

Be careful buying phones on eBay, Craigslist and etc. you can end up with one of them phones.

Apple should release the serial numbers etc so buyers can be aware maybe

 

[Picapau21]

Apple is probably going to block the stolen serial numbers on the activation servers.

The thieves will end up with 300 paperweights. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when they figure out their stolen booty is worthless!

Apparently there is a massive black market in spare parts which is why phones these days are still being stolen.

 

[BritishApple]

This is more unfortunate than a usual Apple heist in that it means there are 300 less phones for enthusiastic customers to receive on launch day.

Or 300 less people to get ripped off by Apple’s greedy price hike.

 

[tennisproha]

Bingo. The thieves will get their cash, but the poor schmucks that buy them will be stuck holding the bag.

I think in the end, no one will really take a hit. Once the customer who bought it and tried to unsuccessfully activate it, complains to Apple, Apple will swape it out for them. Apple will then refurbish it and put it back in the system with a new serial number.

If anyone takes a hit, it will probably be UPS, since it was in their possession when stolen. They'll have to pay out insurance to Apple I'd imagine.