Graham Fraser and Tom Gerken of BBC report how an iPhone stolen in London ended up in China a month later. The UK estimated some 200 smartphones are stolen each day. They report:
Early on a Saturday morning in April, Akara Etteh was checking his phone as he came out of Holborn tube station, in central London.
A moment later, it was in the hand of a thief on the back of an electric bike – Akara gave chase, but they got away.
He is just one victim of an estimated 78,000 “snatch thefts” in England and Wales in the year to March, a big increase on the previous 12 months.
The prosecution rate for this offence is very low – the police say they are targeting the criminals responsible but cannot “arrest their way out of the problem”. They also say manufacturers and tech firms have a bigger role to play.
Victims of the crime have been telling the BBC of the impact it has had on them – ranging from losing irreplaceable photos to having tens of thousands of pounds stolen. […]
Police chiefs will also be tasked with gathering more intelligence on who is stealing phones and where stolen devices end up.
A growing demand for second-hand phones, both in the UK and abroad, is believed to be a major driver behind the recent rise in thefts, the government said. […]
“I appreciate it’s a big ask from the phone companies to make that a thing, but that would be enormously helpful from a policing perspective.”
Apple and Android did not provide the BBC with a statement, but Samsung said it was “working closely with key stakeholders and authorities on the issue of mobile phone theft and related crimes”.
Read more here.
Safeguarding Your iPhone From Thieves
Lance Whitney of PC Magazine reports that Apple’s iOS 17.3 added a security feature that requires Face ID or Touch ID to perform certain actions on your phone as a way to thwart thieves who know your passcode. Whitney writes:
Imagine this scenario. Your iPhone has been stolen, and the thief knows your passcode. They now have access to confidential information and can make unwanted changes on your phone, even if you’ve protected your phone with Face ID or Touch ID.
This type of scam made headlines last year after The Wall Street Journal reported on thieves targeting inebriated bar patrons. After watching someone enter their passcode, the thief would steal the iPhone, log in with the passcode, change the iCloud password, and loot the banking apps on the phone. Without iCloud access, a victim couldn’t remotely brick or reset their phone from afar; many lost thousands of dollars in a matter of minutes.
In response to that reporting, Apple introduced a new security feature called Stolen Device Protection. Available with iOS 17.3, this feature prevents someone from accessing key data or making changes on your iPhone by requiring authentication solely through Face ID or Touch ID. […]
What Is Apple’s Stolen Device Protection?
Under normal circumstances, your passcode serves as a fallback option behind Face ID and Touch ID. But this means if someone has the passcode, they can get around the biometric authentication on your device. With Stolen Device Protection enabled, Face ID or Touch ID are required and a passcode is no longer an option. The feature kicks when you attempt any of the following actions:
- Use passwords or passkeys saved in Keychain.
- Use AutoFill payment methods saved in Safari.
- Turn off Lost Mode.
- Erase all content and settings.
- Apply for a new Apple Card.
- View the virtual card number of your Apple Card.
- Take certain Apple Cash and Savings actions in Wallet, such as transfers.
- Use your iPhone to set up a new device (for example, Quick Start).
Now, if someone obtains your passcode but fails the biometric authentication, they can’t perform any of these actions. To ease this process for the actual owner, the protection feature only goes into effect if your iPhone is in an unfamiliar area, meaning you’re not at home, work, or another registered location. […]
After setting up Stolen Device Protection and your addresses, test it to see how and where it works. For example, if you have an Apple Card, try to view your virtual card number. Don’t respond to the Face ID or Touch ID authentication prompt. After a couple of attempts, your phone should fall back to the passcode prompt. If that pops up, you know that Stolen Device Protection is excluding your registered location.
As always, protecting your iPhone, especially your passcode, from prying eyes in public is probably your safest plan.
Read more here.
