Crime continues in the world of Apple, with criminals in Florida abusing AirTags while others use them for good elsewhere. Several thousand items were stolen in California and a disco ball containing an iPad was stolen in Nashville.
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider Feature that takes a look at the world of Apple-related crime.
iPad and disco ball stolen from Uber driver’s car
An Uber driver in Nashville had an eclectic selection of stolen items their vehicle at the end of December: an iPad, a disco ball and a karaoke machine. Per WKRNthe entire setup is part of the party atmosphere that the driver wants to cultivate in her vehicle.
According to the driver, the theft cost her hundreds of dollars and hurt her business on New Year’s Eve, a busy night for Uber drivers.
Two separate Apple Store robberies by teenagers in London
A robbery at an Apple Store in Brent Cross, London on January 5 led to the arrest of five teenagers accused of theft a total of 50 iPhones, Your local supervisor reported. A sixth was also arrested but was released on bail “while the investigation continues,” the report said.
Most of the iPhones were recovered. A video of the thefts was posted on social media:
This is not to be confused with another incident, also in London, where three other teenagers were present admitted their part in a conspiracy to steal 32 iPhones from Atria Watford shopping center on January 6, per Ham up. The conditions of her bail include a ban on entering Apple Stores in the country.
Man arrested with stolen Apple products worth “thousands” of dollars in California
Police in Orange County, California arrested a 30-year-old man after he was found with Thousands of dollars A mall’s worth of stolen Apple products.
Accordingly KTLAAccording to police, the man took approximately $1,200 worth of merchandise from the Apple Store in the Spectrum Center shopping center and placed it in an Apple shopping bag he had brought with him.
More Apple merchandise valued at $5,000 was found in the suspect’s vehicle, including 15 wireless keyboards and three Pencil Pros, police said.
The man was charged with burglary, felony theft and possession of stolen property California’s new Proposition 36.
Two were arrested after “dozens” of iPhones were stolen from the Verizon store
police two suspects arrested for their alleged involvement in a robbery at a Verizon store in the Sacramento area in late December in which “dozens” of iPhones worth over $100,000 were stolen.
Accordingly CBS News SacramentoAfter Verizon provided police with real-time tracking information, they pursued the suspects and eventually apprehended them after the foot chase continued.
Thief disguised as Amazon driver steals iPhone package
Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean porch pirates aren’t still active. Accordingly Boston 25 Newsa suspect disguised as an Amazon delivery person The driver took a packagewith an iPhone, from a porch in Reading, Massachusetts, just minutes after FedEx delivered it.
The suspect was driving a gray 2019 Nissan Sentra, the report said.
A Key West man was arrested Jan. 6 and accused of putting AirTags on two people’s cars to track them.
Accordingly The Miami Herald, The man was caught after two people went to the police to report that they had received notifications about unrecognized AirTags.
Department of Homeland Security investigators discovered that the AirTags had been purchased by a 52-year-old man. After they presented him with evidence, the man confessed and was arrested on two counts of installing or using tracking devices.
Two arrested in AirPod swap scam
Two men were arrested over a scam involving the purchase of AirPods returned the boxes for cash with a counterfeit product in it.
Accordingly WRALThe two men are from New York but were caught after a low-speed chase in North Carolina after committing the fraud at Target and Walmart in the Raleigh area.
The two men face multiple charges, including conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses and counterfeit trademarks.
AirTag is used to track stolen U-Haul
A man driving across the country had his U-Haul truck stolen in New Mexico with all of his belongings inside. But he was able to locate it thanks to an AirTag he attached to some music equipment.
Accordingly COBthe man tracks the location and notified police when he received a ping. The “looted” U-Haul was found in the backyard of a home along with a second stolen U-Haul.
The public was asked to keep an eye out for Nine Inch Nails memorabilia, including a poster signed by the band, which the man described as “priceless”.
In another example of Apple AirTags locating stolen goods, the devices helped police locate a stash of stolen bicycles that had been stolen in the Colorado Rockies.
Accordingly Summit dailyA Suspect was charged with the theft of the bicycles, which were taken from Vail, Boulder, Aspen and Buena Vista over a period of about two years. The case broke when a man told police that a pair of Specialized Stumpjumper bikes equipped with AirTags had been stolen from a rack in his apartment complex.
The signal was followed to a van that led to their recovery while a search warrant found the rest of the bikes.
