Belgium Thieves Steal iPhones Worth $3M But Disabled
11:19 am, November 17th, 2009, Ed Sutherland
Credit: William Hook/Flickr
When a Belgium carrier had trouble keeping iPhones in stock, local thieves took matters into their own hands, stealing up to 4,000 of the popular Apple handsets worth $3 million from a warehouse. Investigators suspect the theft, which happened over the weekend, might be an inside job.
The thieves climbed a fire ladder to the roof of a warehouse owned by CEVA Logistics, a Netherlands-based logistics company in Willebroek. The unknown number of participants then cut a hole in the roof directly above where the iPhones were located, taking between 3,000 and 4,000 devices, according to local reports.
Although CEVA officials declined to comment, the company was “seriously annoyed by the intrusion,” reports said. Police have no leads, however reports in De Standaard and Gazet van Antwerpen suggested the thieves knew about iPhone delivery and storage location details.
Carrier Mobistar, which has had problems keeping the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in stock reportedly are rushing to get new supplies before inventory runs low. The carrier also hinted the theft may be for naught: the phone’s serial numbers are known and the iPhone will be blocked from the network. While the move could prevent accessing the Mobistar network, the thieves potentially could still sell the handsets on the black market.
[Via AppleInsider and Gizmodo]
Posted by Ed Sutherland in News | Comment on this article
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So they will be blocked from that network, big deal. Will they be blocked from ALL the other networks?
Zedd, on November 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
That’s a hell of a lot of boxes to move in a few hours, that many small boxes and weight must have taken a couple of small trucks to move, surely?
You have to admire the nerve of some people!
Fuzzypig, on November 17th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
They are going to block the phones? Well, that’s funny since I’ve been told repeatedly by AT&T that they CANNOT block a stolen phone even if you know the IMEI / serial number. They can’t block when it’s in their favor, they can block when it’s in their favor. I hate cell phone companies.
BrandonG777, on November 17th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
if you are going to sell blackmarket you’ll likely unlock the phones so a sim block won’t matter cause you can get a sim card lots of places.
the real trouble will be if something happens and someone is foolish enough to go into an Apple store for a bar appointment. Cause they likely know the serials as well and can flag them as stolen. that is if they don’t turn the person away for having an illegally unlocked phone before they get that far.
but you gotta love the nerve of someone mad about shortages stealing the phones probably going to said company.
Charli, on November 17th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I’d imagine more sales on ebay than black market.
And people purchasing these will most certainly not know these units were stolen. Poor suckers. Another reason why you should always buy retail for brand name electronics.
Andy, on November 17th, 2009 at 9:08 pm