• Apple Devices Found to be the “Driving Force” Behind Rise of Larcenies in New York City

    by
    Akshay Masand
    Published on 2014-01-13 10:44 PM
    8 Comments Comments


    According to new data from the New York Police Department (NYPD), the rising theft of devices such as the iPhone and iPad remain one of the driving forces behind the high amount of grand larcenies in New York City last year. In detail, the data showed that Apple products were involved in 8,465 thefts and made up for 18% of all grand larcenies in the city, which rose 13% overall in 2013 from the year prior. The following was mentioned regarding the data:

    Apple products are so popular among criminals that the NYPD specifically tracks thefts of that brand, officials said. In 2013, Apple products made up more than 18% of all grand larcenies—that is more than 8,000 devices, according to police. In 2002, there were 25 grand larcenies of Apple products, police said.

    A spokeswoman for the company said Apple has "led the industry in helping customers protect their lost or stolen devices" since it launched its "Find My iPhone" app in 2009, which allows users to track a stolen phone and erase personal data remotely.
    Previously, in 2012, former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, released data showing that the theft of iPhones and iPads contributed to growth of the overall crime index for the city, as the police department recorded 3,890 more Apple product thefts than for the same period in 2011. Thefts involving Apple’s iPhone and iPad continue to be a major issue for law enforcement, despite efforts to implement various theft deterrent programs. That being said, Apple’s Activation Lock feature, which prevents stolen phones from being reactivated without an iCloud password have received praise from various groups since its inclusion in iOS 7.

    The San Francisco district attorney, George Gascón, and New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, have spearheaded anti-theft efforts, called Activation Lock, the “world’s first attempt to implement a technological solution to the global smartphone theft epidemic,” while the police department distributed flyers near Apple Retail Stores encouraging users to download iOS 7, boasting its security features.

    Furthermore, the New York City Council also previously announced that it was considering a pawn shop bill that would require second hand dealers and pawn brokers to maintain easily accessible electronic records of purchased items, however the status of the bill remains unknown as of right now. Notably, a national phone database established last year was found to be largely ineffective against smartphone thefts in the US with law enforcement authorities even pressing smartphone manufacturers to build a kill switch into phones.

    We’ll have to see what future efforts are made to help resolve the issue, which appears to be growing.

    Source: The Wall Street Journal
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Apple Devices Found to be the “Driving Force” Behind Rise of Larcenies in New York City started by Akshay Masand View original post
    1. Categories:
    2. iPhone,
    3. iOS,
    4. Apple,
    5. iPad
    Comments 8 Comments
    1. politicalslug's Avatar
      politicalslug - 2014-01-14, 12:24 AM
      And here I thought the inability to activate an iOS 7 device after theft would completely eliminate the problem. I guess thieves will be slow to learn, and likely the pawn shops where they hope to unload their wares will be the ones to inform them of the futility of such future thefts.
    1. Charblee's Avatar
      Charblee - 2014-01-14, 01:12 AM
      This was released months ago.. I work for a cell phone repair company in Cleveland, Ohio and the local news station did a story with me because the NYPD was encouraging users to update to iOS 7 to help with this epidemic.
    1. *T*'s Avatar
      *T* - 2014-01-14, 01:32 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by politicalslug View Post
      And here I thought the inability to activate an iOS 7 device after theft would completely eliminate the problem. I guess thieves will be slow to learn, and likely the pawn shops where they hope to unload their wares will be the ones to inform them of the futility of such future thefts.
      All it takes is for the person to not have a passcode set, unlock the phone, turn on airplane mode, remove iCloud, uninstall findmyiphone, and poof, the phone looks perfectly acceptable to a pawn shop.
    1. DieselVexx's Avatar
      DieselVexx - 2014-01-14, 03:11 AM
      Hated the UI at first but the more I play with i07, the more I appreciate it. The girly apps and colors are what initially threw me off. But news like this (inability to activate...)and the ability to customize it since the jb has me hook. i07 is a BEAST!
    1. hogcia's Avatar
      hogcia - 2014-01-14, 05:24 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by politicalslug View Post
      And here I thought the inability to activate an iOS 7 device after theft would completely eliminate the problem. I guess thieves will be slow to learn, and likely the pawn shops where they hope to unload their wares will be the ones to inform them of the futility of such future thefts.
      Who cares about ios7, people who steal these phones sell them on eBay for parts. iPhone 5s 16gb with a bad ESN go for $300+ on eBay, easy money.
    1. goonerm3's Avatar
      goonerm3 - 2014-01-14, 06:44 PM
      iOS 7 iCloud activation has cut stolen iPhone values in half. All that will do is increase the amount of thefts. Now they have to steal double the phones to come out the same. Definitely not a deterrent for those who are big timers. Might deter the smaller fish but it's still massive money either way.
    1. offroad1994's Avatar
      offroad1994 - 2014-01-14, 08:06 PM
      Jailbreak the iPhone. You can use it after full DFU restore.
    1. LittleGod's Avatar
      LittleGod - 2014-01-16, 10:13 AM
      I only steal Android phones...oops...wrong forum.

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