BEWARE: iPhone theft
There's a good chance your new iPhone will be stolen. iPhone theft has become more popular now than iPod theft. After all, there's a lot more identity to be stolen on an iPhone than an ipod.
Such is the case with one iPhone owner we know... his iPone pride and joy was purchased in December, stolen last week. In the police investigation in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the victim was informed that there's a wave of iPhone thefts not just in that city but nation-wide.
This incident followed a well known and widely used technique: distract the victim, grab the phone, disappear in the crowd. It's a sad note on society, and a devastating blow to the victim.
BEWARE: iPhone theft is Identity Theft
According to law enforcement, they don't steal them to use them. They're looking for account passwords, charge card information and online banking info.
* NEVER set auto fill, or embed your ID, passwords or account numbers. Always key those in on the fly when accessing sensitive data. Better yet, DO NOT USE your iPhone for those purposes! With WiFi packet sniffers, lurking crooks can grab your transactions on the fly.
Read the comments following this blog posting at ask.metafilter.com, where there's an ongoing discussion about iPhone theft.
According to one similar victim, CONTACT ATT AT ONCE... Quoting:
I lost my iPhone about two weeks after I got the thing. It was out of my possession for about two hours. Who ever found it never used it. When I called AT&T they said that the culprit would never be able to use the phone because it would have to be activated through iTunes to use it. This being the case they explained that when the phone's serial number (or some other number that identifies the phone) came up it would not work after it was disabled by AT&T. [End Quote]
This Newsday.com tells a different story. . .
Two Baldwin men arrested in stolen iPhone caper
The plan - conceived on the spur of a moment - was to snatch hundreds of Apple iPhones packed in boxes destined for Hong Kong, sell them quickly on New York's streets and high-tail it to the warm shores of Florida, police said.
But Nassau detectives said they quickly foiled the relocation plans of two truckers before they left town, nabbing them last week for stealing the stash of 300 iPhones soon after airline workers overseas discovered the gadgets were gone.
Can you protect yourself?
This post at MacRumors explains an interesting technique for protecting your iPhone using the Mobile Phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) 15-digit code. If your iPhone hasn't yet been stolen, it would serve you well to read this post... Yet one commenter adds: [Quote] The last phone that I had stolen in Chicago, was being used by some THUG who demanded a $100 reward and refused to meet me in a public place, so by the time we shut the phone down via disabling the SIM card, the thief was able to put another [End Quote]
Apple's Support platform notes: [Quote] The IMEI number of the iPhone can most certainly be blacklisted so it can never be used again.
AT&T will blacklist an IMEI at the owners request if the phone is lost/stolen.
Blacklisting of IMEI numbers is very commonplace. (Full Thread)
Check with your homeowner's or rentor's insurance broker. In most cases the iPhone can be rolled into a policy. The only problem is the deductible will usually be higher than the price of the phone.
What's Apple doing?
According to Gizmodo, an application submitted by Apple to the US patent office locks that phone to the phone's charging utility. Therefore, when the thief attempts to recharge with another charger, it fails. (Here's the story)
Protect Yourself
*** Keep your phone in front of you, and in contact
*** Do NOT set it down in busy places, even for a moment
*** Do NOT carry in back pockets or belt holsters
When you use your phone in a busy place, anywhere there's a crowd or crowded circumstances, be aware of people around you, and keep the phone in touch at all times. Better yet, just don't use it in crowded, public places.
Pickpockets are professionals. They make their living stealing from people. Don't think they can't fool you.
Someone should invent a retractable tether that can be securely attached to the phone and to your person -- with a non-cutable cable. Apple should offer a wrist strap similar to most digital cameras. Such a device would also prevent dropping the phone.
What does Del Missier say?
Take a look at this video. Although it's a comedy, iPhone theft is not. The LAST clip in this video is the feature I'd like to see implemented.
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