AT&T subcribers are having their new iPhones stolen by porch pirates in what could be an inside job

It's a story that unfortunately we are all too familiar with. A package containing an eagerly awaited new iPhone is dropped on the buyer's doorstep by a FedEx driver. Within seconds, a thief, more commonly known as a "porch pirate," runs to the doorstep, grabs the box containing the iPhone, and runs off with the prize. A recent Wall Street Journal report says that many of these stolen iPhones are being sent to AT&T subscribers who ordered their new phones from the carrier.

Why are AT&T subscribers more likely to have their iPhone stolen from their doorstep? It's because the carrier usually does not require a signature for the package containing the new phone to be delivered. Verizon and T-Mobile require a signature for the package to be handed over. And to make matters worse, this is an inside job as some thieves have been caught with a list of tracking numbers in their possession. These numbers allow them to know when a FedEx driver plans to deliver an iPhone.

Multiple doorbell videos from several states show the scheme in action. The FedEx driver leaves the box with the new AT&T iPhone inside it by the door. Seconds later, the porch pirate, often wearing an Amazon delivery vest, swoops in and takes the package. The crime was recorded on video in such states as New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. The Journal notes that the thief moves in so fast that the FedEx driver and the porch pirate often cross paths.

AT&T and FedEx are working together to stop these thefts and are teaming up with law enforcement. A typical story is similar to what happened to Jaqueline Rosales who ordered five new iPhones for her family in August from AT&T. All five of the phones were stolen and the video that the victim recorded from her doorbell camera showed the thief rushing out of his car, grabbing the phones, and reentering his vehicle in a span of 10 seconds. 

Rosales had noticed the same car driving up and down her block hours before the delivery. Commenting on the crime she said, "I’ve ordered high-value items before. This has never been a problem. It’s so weird and alarming."

AT&T says that it doesn't require a signature for a package to be delivered because it wants to make it easier for customers to receive their phones. It also costs FedEx shippers an extra $7.15 per package to request a signature on a delivery.

The arrest of a pair of porch-pirating teens in Texas on the day Apple released the iPhone 16 series in September yielded an interesting clue. The pair had flown from Detroit to Houston, Texas expressly to do some porch pirating, and when busted they had in their possession AT&T parcel tracking numbers. An AT&T spokesman said, "We have no evidence of any breach of our systems, and this was not a hack."

AT&T needs to work with law enforcement to discover how two teens were able to get their hands on the tracking numbers belonging to the carrier's parcels being shipped via FedEx. This smacks of a rogue insider at the company making a little money on the side. The wireless provider should also require that a signature be captured in order for a package to be delivered just like Verizon and T-Mobile do.

Another AT&T customer had her new iPhone 16 stolen off her porch last month. While AT&T did put a block on the device and ship a replacement, it would not, even at the customer's request, ask for a signature requirement for the replacement package. Nor would the carrier ship the phone to the customer's workplace or send it to a nearby AT&T store. The customer said that she told AT&T, "Well, son of a gun, you know I might have another iPhone stolen."