A businessman in Ireland is sentenced for "zombie" iPhone fraud, Apple Store thefts in the U.K. and California, and a gift card fraud scheme leads to arrests in Pennsylvania in this week's Apple Crime Blotter.
The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.
Post Halloween: 100 iPhones recovered in Austin
In early November, the Austin Police Department recovered more than 100 iPhones that had been stolen in the downtown area over Halloween weekend.
Now, the Department is attempting to reunite the lost iPhones with their owners, posting photos of the phone screens and asking those who lost them to file police reports.
According to KVUE, the phones were recovered after the Downtown Area Rapid Response Team (DARRT) "investigated an organized crime ring targeting people through pickpocketing."
Businessman sentenced to seven years for "zombie" iPhone fraud in Ireland
A Chinese businessman who operated a chain of mobile phone shops in Ireland has been sentenced to seven years and nine months for carrying out a fraud and money laundering scheme. One that involved "zombie" iPhones.
Breakingnews.ie reports that 43-year-old Chengwen Guo pleaded guilty to charges of theft and money laundering in 2021 and 2022. The news outlet described him as the "Irish representative of a transnational crime organisation."
Under the scheme, "zombie" iPhones from China were exchanged for real ones and were sent abroad for resale. The total value of the product involved was 10,262,617 pounds, or nearly $11.9 million in U.S. dollars. The large fraud has made very little news outside of Ireland.
The judge described Guo as "a very energetic man" who was guilty of "very substantial criminal misbehaviour."
Man charged with theft of iPhones from U.K. Apple Stores
AppleInsider told you last week about thieves in the London area who have been rejecting non-iPhones from potential targets. But one thief in Britain, it appears, went right to the source.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with stealing 30,000 pounds worth of iPhones (about $39,500 in U.S. dollars) from the Apple Store at Lakeside shopping centre in Essex.
The man is said to have targeted the new iPhone 17 models.
Per The BBC, the man was hit with additional charges of attempting to rob a different Apple Store in Brent Cross, in London. And he was charged with two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.
Two arrested for stealing iPhones from California Apple Store
Two men were arrested in mid-November for attempting to steal an iPhone 17 Pro Max from an Apple Store in Irvine, Calif., after they had been caught earlier in the day attempting to break through a security device at Target.
According to an Irvine Police Department Facebook post that was full of Apple-related puns, the thieves' plan "had more bugs than iOS 26". One suspect "grabbed an iPhone 17 Pro Max and walked out like it was launch day, and he had VIP status," and "Their car turned out to be the real iCloud backup," with many other stolen Apple devices found in the car, as the police continued to joke.
The police added that one of the suspects "AirDropped a stolen Apple Watch into a planter while trying to avoid our officers."
The Irvine PD said both suspects are from New York.
Man charged in gift card fraud scheme that "mimicked Apple Pay"
A New York man has been arrested in Pennsylvania for what has been described as "a multi-county credit-card fraud operation" that targeted Wegmans and Home Depot locations.
Media PA Now explains detectives first began investigating when "Chinese actors" were spotted buying $125 gift cards at stores across the Philadelphia suburbs, using credit card data that was stolen.
The purchases were made, police told the outlet, through "a digital mobile-wallet system that mimicked Apple Pay and used one-time tokenized numbers to disguise the underlying card information."
When a vehicle belonging to a suspected member of the ring was searched, Apple and Macy's gift cards were discovered.
That suspect has been charged with forgery, identity theft, access-device fraud, criminal use of a communication facility, and corrupt organization offenses. At least 20 suspects are believed to have been involved.
Real estate developer accused of sexual battery says prosecutors withheld iCloud evidence
A prominent real estate mogul who is facing charges of sexual assault is claiming that prosecutors concealed digital evidence in the case.
According to Los Angeles Magazine, attorneys for Oren Alexander have accused prosecutors in Miami-Dade of having "obtained the alleged victim's full iCloud data under a search warrant nearly a year ago but disclosed only selective portions to the defense."
The withheld footage, according to the report, contains footage of the accuser "dancing, smiling and appearing carefree" not long after the alleged assault.
Alexander and his two brothers are under a separate federal indictment in New York, alleging sex trafficking offenses.
Customer accused of stealing iPhone from AT&T store
A 20-year-old college student has been arrested for an October incident in which police say he took off with an iPhone that he was in the process of buying from an AT&T store in Lee County, Fla.
Gulf Coast News Now reports the man entered the store and asked to purchase an iPhone 17 Pro. After a store employee told the man that he would have to pay a down payment to buy the iPhone, he said he couldn't do it.
The customer then told the employee that he had a flight to catch, and he ultimately left the store with the iPhone without paying. The Fort Myers Police Department viewed security footage and confirmed that the man was a student at Florida Gulf Coast University.
After store employees identified the man from a lineup, he turned himself in and was charged with grand theft.
AirTag leads to arrest of man accused of stealing construction equipment
A man is accused of stealing multiple pieces of construction equipment from the site of a Chick-fil-A being built in Ocean Springs, Miss. But an AirTag left on one of the pieces of equipment, a leaf blower, led police to the man they say took it.
According to WLOX, the man was charged with grand larceny, and additional charges may be pending.
Kenyan social media creator tracks stolen iPhone to Uganda
A popular Kenya-based TikTok and Instagram entertainer named Baba Talisha has tracked both his iPhone 15 and a Samsung phone to Kampala, Uganda, after both were taken from a recent festival.
According to Tnx.Africa, Baba Talisha says the iPhone took just four days to travel from "Nairobi to Ngong, then Kisumu, and eventually along Jinja-Kampala Road in Mukono, Uganda."
Per the news report, Baba Talisa is concerned less by the financial loss and more by "the invaluable content stored on the devices."
