Crime blotter: Stolen iPhone solves Florida fireman's slaying

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, on the world of Apple-related crime:

Stolen iPhone helps solve killing of a firefighter

A South Florida firefighter was gunned down last month after he refused to unlock his iPhone for a group of thieves — and that very iPhone appears to have led to the solving of his murder.

According to the South Florida Sun Sentinel, after Chris Randazzo was shot and killed in mid-October, the killers kept his iPhone.

Police used a combination of cellphone towers and license plate readers to catch three suspects, who have been arrested. They were also implicated in a different shooting earlier the same day.

iPad stolen from woman while she suffered a seizure

A woman in the UK had her iPad and other possessions stolen while she was suffering an epileptic seizure.

Local news site Kent Online reports that the incident took place at a bus stop, and thieves also stole food from the woman, who told the press that the thieves can "go ahead and choke" on what they took.

iPad taken from home of Kourtney Kardashian

Among those who have had Apple items stolen in recent months is a member of the Kardashian family.

According to Hollywood Life, Kourtney Kardashian revealed on a recent episode of her reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians that cash and an iPad were recently stolen from her home.

iPhone stolen, along with pants, from man who thought he was meeting a date

A man in Florida, arriving for a date with a woman he'd found online, instead met her and three male friends who attacked him. They shot him and stole his pants, with his wallet and iPhone in the pocket.

The News Journal says that the 19-year-old man was found lying in the parking lot nearby with a gunshot wound, with his pants missing.

Apple Watches stolen in Australia were display models

A group of thieves stole what they thought were 17 Apple Watches from stores in multiple thefts, but they were actually worthless display models.

According to The Daily Mail, one of the thefts took place at the Westfield Hornsby Apple Store in New South Wales.

iPhone buyer used counterfeit money, hit victim with car

A man in the Bellingham, Washington, area arranged to buy an iPhone X via an online marketplace, but when the seller showed up for the transaction, the buyer used fake "movie money" instead of real cash.

The Bellingham Herald reports that the purchaser immediately noticed that the money was labeled "for motion picture use only." was not genuine. This led to a pursuit, after which the argument continued, and the thief drove off, hitting the victim with his car door, although he also threw the iPhone.

The 22-year-old has been charged with suspicion of first-degree assault, hit and run accident with an injury, second-degree theft, first-degree robbery, forgery and third-degree malicious mischief.

iPhone theft victims receive strange messages on new phones

Dozens of attendees at the recent Austin City Limits music festival in Texas had their phones stolen — and now, many of them have received suspicious text messages on their new replacement phones.

According to KXAN, police believe the messages are phishing attempts, meant to help thieves unlock the phones that were stolen.

Men attempt to use stolen Apple Pay account at Walgreens

Two men in Port St. Lucie, Fla., were arrested in early October and charged with attempting to use the Apple Pay feature on someone else's iPhone to buy hundreds of dollars in gift cards at a Walgreens.

TC Palm says that the men were caught when they unable to verify the credit card information attached to the account. Both were charged with three counts of fraud, as well as further counts of unlawful use of a phone and fraudulent use of credit cards.

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