An iPhone and a Rolex are stolen in Austin, there's a protest at a Portland Apple Store, and Cellebrite use surfaces in the Epstein files.

The latest in an occasional AppleInsider series, looking at the world of Apple-related crime.

Man sought who used a stolen credit card at Apple Store

Police in San Luis Obispo, California, are looking for a man who they say used a stolen credit card to buy $5,000 of merchandise from a local Apple Store. According to The Tribune, the theft took place in late October, although the San Luis Obispo Police Department posted about it on Facebook in mid-December:

The Police did not specify what items were taken in the theft.

Women sought who stole an iPhone and a Rolex, and transferred money

In another crime that took place in October but has only now been reported, police in Austin are looking for two women who they say stole a man's Rolex and iPhone 16, and later used the iPhone to transfer money to themselves.

According to local station KVUE, the incident took place in downtown Austin. Local police are now appealing for information and have released images of the two women.

"In addition to the theft of both items with an estimated total of close-to nine thousand dollars, the suspects also transferred thousands of dollars of his money from his phone apps," the Austin police said.

Protesters outside Portland Apple Store demand reinstatement of ICEblock app

On December 10, a group of protesters demonstrated outside the Apple Store in downtown Portland, demanding the return of the ICEBlock app to the App Store. The protests have taken place weekly since Black Friday.

The app, which allowed users to anonymously report U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, was pulled from the App Store in October. The developer of the app sued the Department of Justice and ICE in early December.

According to OregonLive, on December 15, about 30 protesters appeared, and sang protest songs directed at Tim Cook. One demonstrator carried a banner that read "Santa doesn't shop at Apple."

Cellebrite use by government is mentioned in Epstein files

When the Department of Justice began releasing the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files, an email from one prosecutor indicated that the software Cellebrite was successfully used by the government to access an iPhone.

According to an email discovered in the newly released files by journalist Jacob Shamsian, one prosecutor emailed another in 2021 to tell them that Cellebrite was used to access the iPhone 7 of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, when he was being investigated as part of the We Build the Wall fraud case.

One prosecutor told the other that the Cellebrite search had uncovered a photo of Trump with Ghislaine Maxwell on Bannon's phone. Another agent replied that there were "a number of text messages" between Bannon and Epstein on Bannon's phone.

The names of the prosecutors are redacted in the emails.

AirTags used in a theft ring in which two brothers are arrested

A pair of Colombian nationals who are brothers were arrested in early December for carrying out a multistate theft operation that involved AirTags. According to local station News 4 Jax, the two brothers targeted Asian business owners, and would typically use AirTags attached to cars to follow their victims home, and steal from them there.

"They targeted people of Asian descent," said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. "For whatever reason, some Asians don't trust the banking institutions, so they are known to keep cash, jewelry, and those kinds of things. In some Asian communities, there's a mistrust of the banking community, so they potentially keep a lot of cash at home."

"Once they get the life pattern," continued Staly, "then they know when the person is not going to be home or not be at the business, and then they will burglarize their home or business."

The brothers are now facing deportation.

Dropped iPhone in Mercedes leads to arrest after scuffle

Police in Joliet, Illinois, arrested a man who they say tried to steal a Mercedes-Benz from a gas station, after it was left running. The owner spotted the thief in the car, trying to go in reverse, at which point the owner pulled the thief out of the car.

In the struggle, the thief grabbed the victim's wallet. But he later returned, asking the victim to return the iPhone he had dropped in the car. Police soon arrived and arrested the thief.

Per the Illinois section of hyperlocal news service Patch, the 21-year-old man has been charged with attempted motor vehicle theft, theft, and criminal trespass to a vehicle.

Couple upset after police slow-walk AirTag probe

This column has featured many stories of crimes that were solved, and stolen property that was recovered, thanks to AirTag technology and cooperative, fast-acting law enforcement.

But one recent story out of Texas shows that it's not always that neat.

According to CBS Texas, a couple who lives in the Dallas area returned from a trip and soon found that their luggage had been stolen from their car.

The couple had left AirTags on the luggage and were able to track their belongings to an apartment complex. They even went to the complex and viewed surveillance footage, which showed a man carrying their luggage and even wearing the man's Houston Rockets shirt.

Police, however, were slow to respond, in part due to the Dallas Police deferring to DFW Airport Police. While DFW Police have visited the complex, where the AirTag continues to ping, the case remains unsolved.

Man reports losing iPhone to eBay scam

A Pennsylvania man who agreed to sell his iPhone 15 on eBay says he was scammed.

According to NorthCentralPA.com, a Pennsylvania man agreed to sell the iPhone via eBay, and later received a request for a refund. He refunded the buyer, but never received the iPhone back.

Pennsylvania State Police have opened an investigation.

iPhone crash alert leads to arrest

A 22-year-old Virginia man was arrested on December 6 after his car slammed into a culvert. According to Finger Lakes 1, police deputies say an iPhone crash detection alert led to the arrest.

The man has been charged with driving while intoxicated (first offense), operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or higher, moving from a lane unsafely, and operating a vehicle without a license, as well as traffic tickets.