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Thieves steal $13k worth of iPhones in 93-second ‘orchestrated’ theft at Apple Store

A group of seven men and women carried out a rapid-fire ‘orchestrated’ theft of 19 iPhones worth a total of $13,000 from the Apple Store in Natick, Massachusetts, reports the local police department.

On Wednesday evening a group of seven individuals made up of males and females entered the Mall and went directly to the Apple Store. These individuals, while clad in hoodies and/or hats to shield their identity, surrounded the area of the store where iPhones are on display. In orchestrated fashion these individuals cut the security cords and exited the store with 19 phones. Apple placed a value on the loss in excess of $13,000. The group fled easterly on foot and despite an extensive search was not located.

Police say that the total time between entering the store and exiting with the stolen phones was just one minute and 36 seconds. It’s believed the same individuals may have been involved in a similar crime in Hingham.

Surprisingly poor-quality surveillance video has been posted, and police are appealing for help identifying the suspects.

The thieves may end up being rather disappointed with their haul. After reporting that Apple is removing security tethers in at least some stores, we got to learn some of the steps Apple takes to protect its display devices. Among them are special iOS and macOS images that disable devices as soon as they go out of range of the store Wi-Fi.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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