Thieves Tunnel Through Coffee Shop Wall To Steal $500,000 In iPhones From Washington Apple Store (macrumors.com) 48
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MacRumors: An Apple Store at the Alderwood Mall was burgled last weekend, with thieves infiltrating the location through a nearby coffee shop. According to Seattle's King 5 News, thieves broke into Seattle Coffee Gear, went into the bathroom, and cut a hole in the wall to get to the Apple Store backroom. The burglars were able to bypass the Apple Store's security system by using the adjacent coffee shop, stealing a total of 436 iPhones that were worth around $500,000.
According to Seattle Coffee Gear manager Eric Marks, the coffee shop is not noticeably adjacent to the Apple Store because of the way that the store is laid out. "I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean," Marks told King 5 News. "So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout." Police were able to obtain surveillance footage of the theft, but as it is part of an active investigation, it has not yet been released. Nothing was stolen from the coffee shop, but it will cost $1,500 to replace locks and repair the bathroom wall.
According to Seattle Coffee Gear manager Eric Marks, the coffee shop is not noticeably adjacent to the Apple Store because of the way that the store is laid out. "I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean," Marks told King 5 News. "So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout." Police were able to obtain surveillance footage of the theft, but as it is part of an active investigation, it has not yet been released. Nothing was stolen from the coffee shop, but it will cost $1,500 to replace locks and repair the bathroom wall.
What's the point? (Score:5, Insightful)
Won't these all be locked the moment they phone home?
Re: What's the point? (Score:4, Insightful)
My guess is either parts or selling them on a Russian flea market. Sure, they'll be deactivated as soon as they phone home, but by the time the buyers realize that their money is already long gone.
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I was wondering how this could still be a thing, and I think you answered my question. It sounds like the modern day equivalent of those speakers that shady characters sold from vans. They'd say they were some name brand $400 speaker, but it was a fake cabinet with $50 RadioShak guts. The scheme was a vivid illustration of the saying that "you can't con an hones man", because the victims assumed the speakers were "hot", they were not likely to complain to the police for fear that the had willingly fenced
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As parts, it's going to reinforce the position that parts need locking down.
I mean, it's probably an aspect of Right to Repair no one's really thinking of - are the parts iFixit sells legitimate? Because in theory, if iFixit were to buy up those stolen iPhones, part them out, then Apple could demand from every iFi
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False flag operation by BIG COFFEE.
Notice there's a quote in the summary from the store manager but none from Apple.
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In particular Apple makes a big deal about how hard it is to get secure screens. Now someone has a judge stock. And a good deal on replacements.
If nothing else, batteries.
Re: What's the point? (Score:2)
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You make a good point, the market Apple created in phone repairs as motivated crimes like this...
Given Apple's penchant for tracking things, it wouldn't surprise me if the most desirable parts have serial numbers that are reported to the main processor. So even the parts may not be usable; they might be only a software update away from identifying themselves as stolen, at which time Apple could easily hobble or brick the phone.
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Pretty much all parts have serial numbers. I do not think you can use the parts either. Maybe dumb buttons or screws, but electronics? Forget it.
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Yeah... Stealing iPhones wasn't very smart, because the serial numbers are easily tracked and remotely disabled.
They would have been better off stealing a bunch of "dumb" tech like a bunch of Apple USB laptop chargers. You could probably unload those on eBay for years without getting caught.
Re: What's the point? (Score:3)
Re: What's the point? (Score:1)
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Indeed. iPhones are pretty much worthless after being stolen. Non-activated ones even more so. You can probably not even use the parts.
Prior art in Hogan's Heroes (Score:2)
The Great Brinksmeyer Robbery [imdb.com].
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I was thinking of The Red Headed League.
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True, I think there are at least two Sherlock Holmes stories that fit the bill.
Mall repair labor is that low? (Score:1)
Mall repair labor is that low?
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Actually, the $1500 repair also included the lock on the front door of the store -- $600 for the drywall repair and $900 for the front door locks.
Burglars cut through wall to access Apple Store [king5.com]
Yay. They stole some shells.... (Score:2)
Because the guts will all be listed as stolen on Apple's servers and most of it won't work whether whole or parted out.
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I’ll bet they jailbreak them and build them into a beowulf cluster mining dogecoins.
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I’ll bet they jailbreak them and build them into a beowulf cluster mining dogecoins.
Nah. That's how you recycle valuable electonic parts from broken & crashed TESLA cars.
"Someone really had to think it out" (Score:1)
I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean," Marks told King 5 News. "So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout."
But a short (~2 sec) observation from Google Maps shows that the Apple store and coffee shop are adjacent to one another. and share a common wall. *sigh*
Re: "Someone really had to think it out" (Score:2, Funny)
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Re: "Someone really had to think it out" (Score:2)
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Where he mentioned that he'd never suspected it "wrapped around like that". I guess if you never looked at the mall map on the mall website you'd never suspect it...
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"Not noticably adjacent?!" (Score:2)
"So, someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout." Like look at Apple Maps and notice it is right next door? Have some kind of sense of direction?
It is hard to imagine the value of an iPhone stolen from Apple has a value of over $10 for the thieves... and even more surpising that there are no motion sensors in the stock room.
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Yeah that comment is really really stupid. They are very much noticeably adjacent. If they were trying to say that it's not obvious the store rooms are adjacent in the way they are then such commercial building plans are usually freely available on request from the council as part of the store's development permit.
Are we sure? (Score:2)
How do we know they didn't tunnel from the Apple Store to steal $5,000,000 worth of expensive coffee shop coffee (only a few cups at current prices)?
My question is.... (Score:2)
Stupid thieves (Score:2)
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Probably, a hard ball ad campaign (Score:2)
No motion, no tunnel. (Score:2)
>"The burglars were able to bypass the Apple Store's security system by using the adjacent coffee shop"
1) So their "security system" had zero motion detectors or beams. Great system there.
2) No, there was no tunnel, it was simply two cuts in a simple drywall wall. Give me a break.
3) $500k worth, is maybe retail sale value, not wholesale, and certainly not black market value.
Ah, John Clay and Archie ride again (Score:1)
It would be good to know the real names of the coffee shop and the apple store owner.
So they stole 3 phones? With warrantee plans? (Score:2)
Forgive me, please, but current Iphone prices are outrageous.
Bottom line is high (Score:2)
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Also the actual loss is not the potential retail price, but the cost of replacing the units.
There's hope for America (Score:2)
It's reassuring to see a good old fashioned work ethic in play here, even if we had to witness thieves being the ones putting it to use.
THIEF "First Heist" Clip (1981) James Caan
https://youtu.be/SCaz3HEoU0U [youtu.be]
haha no tunnel (Score:2)
Haha. This was not like the movies. There was no tunnel. There was no brick wall. This was just drywall on each side with some cottony sound insulation in between. They just cut open the drywall.
how is it... (Score:2)
...that any stolen phone can EVER be used?
Maybe this is a stupid question, but I presume that phones have some sort of burned-in mac address in their CPU, so that when phones #123456-#127890 are stolen the manufacturer just says "ok brick those phones".
If not, why does we have to go through all the stupid fucking registration steps not just for our SIM card but for the phone too?