There has been a rash of iPhone thefts around the US the past few months, conducted by "porch pirates" often seen on doorbell camera videos scooping up boxes right after they are delivered. Phones shipped by AT&T are being targeted more than those of Verizon and T-Mobile, according to a Wall Street Journal article published yesterday.
"The key to these swift crimes, investigators say: The thieves are armed with tracking numbers. Another factor that makes packages from AT&T particularly vulnerable is that AT&T typically doesn't require signature on delivery... Verizon and T-Mobile require a signature on delivery for smartphones; AT&T generally doesn't," the article said.
The WSJ talked to Chris Brown, a police lieutenant in Deer Park, Texas, who "said the suspects were armed with inside information: AT&T parcel tracking numbers. Deer Park police are working with AT&T to investigate how the suspects got that information, he said."
When contacted by Ars today, an AT&T spokesperson said the phone carrier uses multiple delivery companies and "ship[s] tens of thousands of packages a day without incident." AT&T said it "require[s] signatures in several markets where we have experienced theft issues," and that "we regularly make changes to our processes, whether it is [the] type of delivery or even type of packaging, to reduce instances of these thefts."
AT&T also said it works "with law enforcement agencies and parcel carriers to protect our deliveries," and that these crimes are "committed by sophisticated criminals that are being investigated by both federal and state law enforcement agencies." We asked both AT&T and FedEx how many thefts there have been but did not receive an answer.
Here is a WMUR-TV report about such thefts occurring in New Hampshire, complete with footage from a doorbell camera:
AT&T: No evidence of hack
The WSJ quoted AT&T as saying that it has "no evidence of any breach of our systems, and this was not a hack." If there was no hack, it's possible the tracking numbers were obtained directly from an employee or contractor. AT&T told Ars that it still has no evidence of a breach or hack.
The WSJ described the thefts as follows:
Doorbell camera videos show the thefts in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Michigan, Georgia, Florida and Texas. The details are similar: A FedEx driver drops off a box with an iPhone from AT&T. Then a person walks up—sometimes wearing an Amazon delivery vest—and plucks the package off the front step. The heist can be so quick that in some videos, the FedEx driver and thief cross paths.
"They know what's getting delivered and the location," said Detective Lt. Matt Arsenault from the Gardner Police Department in Massachusetts, which is investigating several recent thefts. "They meet the delivery driver at the front door and take it."
The thefts have also been described in numerous local news reports, and police in some communities have warned residents to be careful with deliveries.
"For the last few weeks, we've taken MANY reports regarding the thefts of new iPhones," the Needham Police Department in Massachusetts wrote on October 2. "Typically, FedEx trucks are trailed by suspects who wait for the new iPhones to be dropped off. Within 5 minutes after FedEx leaves, a suspect comes and grabs the phone from the porch or driveway before the homeowner has a chance to retrieve it."
Needham police said the thefts are "happening COUNTLESS times across the state each and every day. Some suspects arrive dressed as 'Amazon drivers' and 'swap' a package, some are on mopeds, some are just common, inconspicuous cars."
Police: Thieves fly in, use rental cars
Fox26 Houston reported on September 21 that Deer Park police had arrested two teenagers "in connection with a series of package thefts involving iPhone 16 deliveries." A 17-year-old and 18-year-old who had just flown into the Houston area were "suspected of stealing packages that had just been delivered to homes in the Deer Park area."
According to The Wall Street Journal, police said the teens "rented a car and spent hours circling neighborhoods around Houston." The WSJ also said it viewed video from the dashcam of their rental car, which "shows a young woman picking up a package, jogging back to the car and driving away."
On October 1, WKRN in Tennessee reported similar arrests of men who were alleged to be "part of a crime syndicate that obtains shipping information and supplies it to field operatives." Spring Hill Police Department Lieutenant Mike Foster was quoted as saying that "somebody who has access to the manifest or the delivery list is giving out information."
"According to Foster, the crime syndicate purchases flights and rental cars for their operatives to travel to predetermined locations, like Spring Hill, knowing exactly when the iPhones would be delivered," the article said. Foster said that FedEx "provide[d] us with information that led to the ultimate arrest of these individuals and they were hitting multiple houses."
A report in Weston, Massachusetts said that security footage from a home "showed a man dressed in all black, his face covered by a mask, sunglasses, and a helmet walking up to a home. The suspect can be seen carefully looking through a group of packages, then grabbing the one holding the iPhone."
Five iPhones stolen from porch after delivery
Jaqueline Rosales, a Snellville, Georgia, resident, told the WSJ that she ordered iPhones for her whole family and that all five of them were stolen from her porch within minutes of delivery. "Rosales has video footage showing the thief dashing from his car and back in 10 seconds. She said she had seen the same car driving up and down her street hours before FedEx delivered the package," the article said.
FedEx told Ars today that it "works closely with shippers of high-value goods on enhanced security measures." The company said it has "rigorous safety and security programs in place and regularly remind[s] our team members of the importance of both personal and package safety. This includes remaining vigilant when delivering a package and immediately reporting any unusual activity."
FedEx pointed out that shippers of high-value goods "can request Hold at Location or Direct Signature Required services, or redirect a package to FedEx Office or Walgreens, so a package is not left unattended at a business or residence. These tools have proven very helpful in combating porch piracy." FedEx also said that package recipients can use its website and mobile app to have "more control over the timing and location of their deliveries."
