There has been an epidemic in the past few years of iPhone thieves using scooters and e-bikes to snatch the devices from their owners while they are walking down the street.
The reason this is the method of choice for thieves is because it allows them to get hold of an unlocked iPhone, which can cost $800 more than a locked one…
Industrial grade phone snapping
A report last year said the use of stolen scooters and e-bikes to snatch phones from the streets had reached an “industrial scale.” One operation by the Met Police in London saw 230 people arrested and more than 1,000 phones recovered in just one week.
Part of the problem is that security concerns initially led the police to stop taking action when the threat from thieves was deemed too great. In the UK, the decision was made to reverse this position and allow officials to use “intelligent communication” to remove them from the bikes.
Unlocked iPhones cost up to $800 more
A It has strings The report says that unlocked phones attract the biggest premium because they facilitate access to data and financial accounts. While banking and other financial apps should require Face ID or a passcode to access, phishing attempts can be made to gain access.
“Phone thieves don’t just want the handset – they want access to bank accounts and personal information,” said Will Lyne, head of economic and computer crime at London’s Metropolitan Police. Lyne highlights one case of four men caught in possession of more than 5,000 stolen phones and spending money on financial accounts for these devices.
Dan Guido, CEO and founder of security firm Trail of Bits and strategic advisor to mobile security firm iVerify, says a stolen phone can be worth only $50 to $200 if it’s locked. “But when you open it, it costs $500, or it costs $1,000.”
Another legal professional had an iPhone stolen and received a phishing message that mimicked Apple’s Find My page and asked for the phone’s passcode. If someone crosses this, it allows the buyer of a stolen iPhone to remove the Activation Lock and sell it as a working device.
Illegal trading is facilitated by phishing software sold on a pay-per-use model.
Phishing tools called “Find My iPhone Locked” can be used to access accounts; and scripts and AI voice calling software to facilitate phishing operations […]
A video obtained by researchers shows software called iRealm that generates phishing links and pages impersonating Apple services. Other posts linked to iRealm mention features such as “Find My iPhone Disabled,” advertise “texts” about Apple Pay, and say the software can provide a “seamless experience” for “accessing and unlocking Apple devices.”
Many of these services are offered through Telegram channels. After the company was contacted, it removed half a dozen groups advertising these services.
Photo by Jon RV on Unsplash
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