Cops talking to AT&T seek insider behind the thefts of just-delivered iPhone 16 models
Back in October, just a few weeks following the release of the Phone 16 line, we told you that a number of AT&T subscribers had the FedEx packages containing their brand-new iPhones stolen from their porches by thieves who were shadowing the delivery truck. In many cases, it appeared that the thief knew the exact schedule the truck was following and knew when a package being delivered contained an iPhone.
AT&T insider could be responsible for a rash of stolen iPhone 16 deliveries
Since the victims ordered their phones from AT&T, it was thought that somehow the thieves were able to obtain a FedEx delivery schedule that practically gave the criminals a roadmap to follow. This would point to an inside job with somebody inside AT&T or FedEx. Part of the problem is that, unlike Verizon and T-Mobile, AT&T doesn't require the recipient of a phone sign for the package. This decision was made purely to save money since it would cost AT&T an extra $7.15 per package to have the driver collect a signature on each delivery.
The timing by the thieves is so precise that the entire crime takes only seconds to pull off from the time the driver of the "follow-up" car opens his front door and runs out of the vehicle, to the time it takes for the thief to drive away with the package containing the iPhone. Many of these operations have been taking place on the East Coast of the U.S. in states such as New York, Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and others.
In some of the cases, police were able to make an arrest, and several teens and young adults were put into handcuffs for stealing the iPhone-containing packages. In our original story in October, we mentioned a pair of teens who flew in to Houston and rented a car specifically to follow FedEx trucks delivering iPhone 16 models to AT&T customers who had ordered the handsets. We now have more details about what happened. Teens David Dye and Iyanna Perry flew into Houston from Detroit and rented a car from Ride Away Rentals.
"They came in and rented two cars from us. They seemed pretty young but didn't seem like they'd give us too much trouble. We found out they had the dashcam still plugged in, so we said OK, let's look through this and see what's going on."-Desmond Garrick, owner of Ride Away Rentals
The teens were unaware that the rental car had a dashboard camera running which captured their felonious activities over the next 48 hours. The video shows the pair following specific FedEx trucks on their runs. One part of the video shows Perry running to grab an iPhone off of a porch that they had arrived at too early; just a few minutes later, during a return trip to the same porch, she was able to steal the iPhone off of the porch.
How to avoid becoming a victim of porch pirates after your iPhone
Because they were caught with the tracking numbers for iPhone shipments to Houston areas, Dye and Perry had the addresses that the packages were being delivered to along with the time that they were supposed to be delivered. On the dashcam recording, one of the teens tried to get the FedEx driver to hand over a package containing an iPhone directly from the FedEx truck.That iPhone was being delivered to a strip mall. The teen tried to convince the driver that he was the person waiting for the phone by reciting the tracking number.
The big question is how two teens from Detroit were able to get the tracking numbers for AT&T shipments. Law enforcement has been working with AT&T's Global Fraud Department in an attempt to get an answer to this question. It's possible that Dye and Perry were the low men on the totem pole and were paid off by someone inside AT&T who has access to the tracking numbers.
When they were arrested in the rental car, the cops found four stolen iPhone 16 models. One assumption is that the arrest might help law enforcement discover a much larger operation. To avoid situations like this, you are better off buying your new iPhone directly from Apple since a signature will be required. If you're getting too good of a deal from your carrier and they don't require a signature, ask if you can pay extra to require that someone sign for the delivery. You might also consider a delivery locker from a third-party firm.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: