141 New York Merchants Arrested in Stolen iPhone Sting

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New York police arrested 141 merchants over the past week for buying stolen iPhones and iPads. The arrests were part of a sting involving more than 600 stores throughout the city, according to the New York Post.

Police sting catches stolen iPhone buyersPolice conducted the sting operation in all of the city’s boroughs in an effort to cut down on trafficking stolen electronics. “That’s our intention, to reduce the places where people who steal these things can go and sell them,” said NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Police figured out which businesses to target by asking jail inmates where they try to sell the electronics they steal.

Buyers like snapping up stolen iPhones because they can typically buy them for about US$175 and sell them on eBay for $300. The sellers also try to push the iPhones and iPads on people looking for good deals.

Commissioner Kelly warned against buying iPhones and iPads that way. “If someone is offering you an iPad for way below market value, you have to realize that it’s most likely stolen,” he said.

Jeff Gamet

Jeff Gamet

Jeff is the Mac Observer's Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of "The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X" from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also co-hosts the We Have Communicators podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other podcasts, too. Jeff dreams in HD.

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1 Comments

geoduck

?If someone is offering you an iPad for way below market value, you have to realize that it?s most likely stolen,? he said.

However the reality of it is that there’s a large proportion of upstanding citizens that think of themselves as honest that will take the deal and deliberatly choose not to think about the why.

Such is the world we live in.

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