Thieves Tunnel Through Coffee Shop Wall to Steal $500,000 in iPhones From Washington Apple Store

[Steve121178]

I support Apple mobile devices in an academic medical center, and yeah, we can essentially brick them remotely. Apple must track the serial numbers on these, and they can make them useless. That would prevent the thieves from using the phone and probably tick off their customers, but it would do very little to catch the thieves or recover the phones. They'd have to allow the phones to be activated, then track them to see if they could figure out a pattern of where they appeared. The thieves would likely be smart enough to disperse them over a wide area. Likely. A lot of thieves are stupid.

The thieves will sell them & get their pay day. The thieves won't care that the buyers can't activate. They've already got their money.

It's not like the thieves are going to accept returns & give receipts.

Just means 100's of people will buy bricks they can't use and will be out of pocket.

 

[_Spinn_]

Can Apple just lock these phones so they can't be used?

That’s what I was thinking too.

 

[boyarka]

Oh Apple is most certainly able to track these and fully disable these phones remotely. They can really only sell these for parts, cause it will not be a workable phone 📱

Putting the phones inside a makeshift Faraday cage will take care of any ane all tracking abilities.
Then off to a 3rd world sweatshop, packed into a shipping container maked as "electronics waste", to pick them for parts.
As for "not workable" well, some at least older iPhones can be flashed with a different ID nr.
The absolutely only ace Apple has up its sleeve is the draconian spare parts lockdown designed to combat honest repair shops which would lock out fully usable parts from working because Apple wants to hold a monopoly on everything including the whole repair process. But those phones being stolen by thieves I don't think they're going to play by Apple's rules.

 

[UK-MacAddict]

At least they didn’t have to pay the extortionate prices they retail for 😂

 

[compwiz1202]

You forgot to factor in the price of today’s iPhones. That was like… 7.

I'm surprised this comment took so long

 

[compwiz1202]

You think a clueless parent trying to get a phone in the cheap for their kid is going to know or even think to do that?

Then that's their fault for not following onE of the first rules of doing business I learned in Jr High Economics: CAVEAT EMPTOR

 

[gund1234]

what exactly does have to gain from this…?

i think he meant apple employees were involved.

 

[gund1234]

Incredibly stupid. They got absolutely nothing. Apple can just flip a switch and all of those phones are disabled and worthless.

can be sold for parts.
and heard that iPhones can be activated even if they are locked in countries like India & China.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Glory be!

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I wonder if Apple would go after the coffee store in a lawsuit for lax security.

My guess is that “being a place folks can go to and buy things” means you’re only ever going to be a certain amount of secure. Thus, the Mall likely is like a “Security HOA” They define that every vendor has to be at least ‘this’ secure and, if they are, the mall will indemnify them (as long as it is confirmed that they weren’t a part of the problem). It’s possible that “Next to the Apple Store” is already a high value location in any mall with an Apple Store, the rents in those spots could potentially increase across the market.

 

[phenste]

i think he meant apple employees were involved.

i mean..

"I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean”

Never?

“So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout."

I have access to the mall layout.

lmao

 

[Celtic Warrior]

The thieves will sell them & get their pay day. The thieves won't care that the buyers can't activate. They've already got their money.

It's not like the thieves are going to accept returns & give receipts.

Just means 100's of people will buy bricks they can't use and will be out of pocket.

Exactly. They'll get their money at the end

 

[Force11111]

😄

I see women complain about this, but I want to offer another perspective. I often leave the lids up. Why is that? Because I know there’s too many guys out there that spray the entire toilet seat. Talk about no aim. It may be a small inconvenience to let the seat down when it’s time to sit down, but I’d argue that is a preferable alternative to cleaning up someone else’s pee. As a guy I’ve had to clean up my fair share of other peoples’ pee when I need to sit down and it’s the worst.

I just feel,like if me as a guy has to put it up, a woman can put it down. It ain’t that big of a deal.

 

[mjs916]

Yes, but that only hurts the end user - who likely had nothing to do with the theft or any knowledge that they are purchasing a stolen phone. It doesn't hurt the thieves at all.

Buyers that check the IMEI first with their carrier will be helped (if the thief provides it when asked).

 

[v0lume4]

I just feel,like if me as a guy has to put it up, a woman can put it down. It ain’t that big of a deal.

Same. You think I want to touch that nasty pee ridden toilet seat any more than a lady does? 😂