Crime in the world of Apple continues with bad guys misusing AirTags in Florida, while others elsewhere use them for good. A few thousand in merchandise were stolen in California, and a disco ball was taken with an iPad in Nashville.
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider feature, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
iPad, disco ball stolen from Uber driver’s car
An Uber driver in Nashville had an eclectic array of items stolen from her vehicle in late December: An iPad, a disco ball, and a karaoke machine. Per WKRN, the whole setup is part of the party atmosphere that the driver seeks 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 different Apple Store robberies by teenagers in London
An Apple Store robbery at Brent Cross in London on January 5 led to the arrest of five teenagers, who are accused of stealing a total of 50 iPhones, Your Local Guardian reported. A sixth was also arrested but “has been bailed while enquiries continue,” the report said.
The majority of iPhones were recovered. Video of the thefts was posted to social media:
This is not to be confused with a separate incident, also in London, when three other teenagers admitted their part in a conspiracy to steal 32 iPhones from the Atria Watford shopping center on January 6, per Ham High. Conditions of their bail include a ban from entering Apple Stores in the country.
Man arrested with “thousands” of dollars in stolen Apple products in California
Police in Orange County, Calif., arrested a 30-year-old man after he was found with thousands of dollars worth of stolen Apple products at a mall.
According to KTLA, police say the man took around $1,200 worth of merchandise from the Apple Store in the Spectrum Center mall, placing them in an Apple shopping bag that he brought with him.
An additional $5,000 more in Apple merchandise, including 15 wireless keyboards and three Pencil Pros, were found in the suspect’s vehicle, police said.
The man was charged with burglary, committing theft with prior convictions, and possessing stolen property, under California’s new Proposition 36.
Two arrested after “dozens” of iPhones taken from Verizon store
Police arrested two suspects for their alleged part in a Verizon Store robbery in the Sacramento area in late December, which netted “dozens” of iPhones worth over $100,000.
According to CBS News Sacramento, after Verizon supplied police with real-time tracking information, they chased the suspects and ultimately caught them, after a car chase that continued on foot.
Thief disguised as Amazon driver steals iPhone package
Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean porch pirates aren’t still active. According to Boston 25 News, a suspect dressed as an Amazon delivery driver took a package, containing an iPhone, off a porch in Reading, Mass., just minutes after FedEx delivered it.
The suspect was driving a grey 2019 Nissan Sentra, the report said.
A Key West man was arrested on January 6 and accused of placing AirTags on the cars of two people, in order to track them.
According to The Miami Herald, the man was caught after two people went to the police to tell them they received notifications of unrecognized AirTags.
Detectives, working with the Department of Homeland Security, figured out that the AirTags had been purchased by a 52-year-old man. After they showed him evidence, the man confessed, and he was arrested on two counts of installation or use of tracking devices.
Two arrested in AirPod “swap scam”
Two men have been arrested for a scam in which they bought AirPods and then returned the boxes for cash with a counterfeit product inside.
According to WRAL, the two men are from New York but were caught after a low-speed chase in North Carolina, having executed the scam at a Target and Walmart in the Raleigh area.
The two men face several charges, including conspiracy to obtain property by false pretense and counterfeit trademark.
AirTag used to track stolen U-Haul
A man driving across the country had a U-Haul truck, with all of his belongings in it, stolen in New Mexico. But he was able to locate it, thanks to an AirTag that he had attached to some music equipment.
According to KOB, the man tracked the location and notified police when he received a ping. The U-Haul, which had been “ransacked,” was found in the backyard of a home, along with what was described as a second stolen U-Haul.
The public has been asked to be on the lookout for Nine Inch Nails memorabilia, including a poster signed by the band, which the man called “priceless.”
In another example of Apple AirTags locating stolen merchandise, the devices helped police find a stash of stolen bikes that had been lifted from throughout the Colorado Rockies.
According to Summit Daily, a suspect has been charged with stealing the bikes, which had been taken from Vail, Boulder, Aspen, and Buena Vista, over about two years. The break in the case came when a man told police that a pair of Specialized Stumpjumper bikes, equipped with AirTags, had been stolen from a rack at his condo complex.
The signal was followed to a van, leading to their recovery, while a search warrant found the rest of the bikes.
