Apple Hunts Down Individuals Committing Apple-Related Crimes Through Apple Products

From six-figure theft to bungled Apple investment, robbery, and burglary, Apple products have proven to be effective in tracking down the perpetrators of these crimes.

A Series of Apple-related Crimes

In a comprehensive Apple Insider report, a 30-year-old Illinois man was handed down five years in prison in mid-October for his role in a scam labeled as theft. This man stole $500,000 to $1 million by purchasing iPhones with his company's cash and then selling them. During the thefts between 2019 and 2021, the individual worked in IT for a facilities support services firm. In September, he pled guilty.

Apparently, it's not only common folk who have been caught doing things unlawfully. According to the same Apple Insider article, a rookie New York Police Department officer was caught on CCTV snatching a pair of AirPods from the management of a Manhattan eatery. The cop, 36, was eventually convicted of petit larceny and illegal possession of stolen items. An internal affairs investigation led to the arrest.

Consequently, in a CBS 17 story, investigators in Durham, N.C., are seeking a guy who they believe executed an armed robbery of an AT&T Store in June. According to the news source, the guy pulled a pistol on staff and stole 65 iPhones from the store. He made staff lie down on the floor and even had one store employee assist him in carrying the seized iPhones to the car. In the warrant, the man allegedly had his car observed at the scene of a separate robbery of a T-Mobile store days ago.

And who could forget the iconic "Baby Bee" balloon Joelly, which was stolen in early October? Fortunately, an iPad assisted in the balloon's recovery. According to KOAT, the vehicle transporting the balloon was taken from an Albuquerque hotel. However, because an iPad was left in the vehicle, authorities could locate it in southwest Albuquerque.

How Apple Products Solved Crimes

With all of these Apple crimes, you'd think the company would just sit back and let the law take its course. But it goes beyond that. When a 51-year-old guy was caught in Georgia in early October on suspicion of breaking into automobiles in Kentucky, the AirPods he stole were traced across many states.

Per Yahoo News, the man's actions also involved the theft of an Enterprise rental automobile in Tennessee, which he repainted and replaced the keys on. He was apprehended following a pursuit in the woods after being spotted at a Walmart and convicted of public drunkenness.

Then, through a Twitter thread, an iPhone taken from someone in the United Kingdom was discovered in Nigeria. The best part is that it was also found that whoever now has the phone has been messaging friends of the owner, requesting information on how to unlock it. Apple Insider reports that the individual sending the SMS is most likely not the initial thief but rather someone who later purchased the phone.

Perhaps the only instance when Apple products failed to prove useful is in the case of a 30-year-old Illinois man, whose scheme comprised purchasing iPhones using company funds and then reselling them. Although pleading guilty in September, the iPhones he bought didn't exactly help Apple and the company he used to work for.

The bottom line is that some of the cases of crimes that hit the headlines are never pleasant for Apple customers. But the products they buy from the tech giant more than makeup for it.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Thea Felicity