Kingston Police has taken at least three concerning reports from women over the weekend who are stating a male, who may be the same suspect in each instance, is stealing their phones but then tricking them into providing their Apple ID information.
Apple has made it more difficult for thieves to resell stolen iPhones as the device cannot be reset without the owner’s Apple ID via their email address and password.
What the suspect has done in these cases is stolen their phone at “The Ale House,” a licensed establishment in the entertainment district near Princess Street and Division Street.
He then removes the phone from the protective case, approaches the women with just the empty case and asks if they may be missing their phone.
The women realize their phone is gone and the male, under the guise of being kind, pulls out another iPhone and says if they give him their Apple ID he can enter it into and use the “Find My iPhone” app to assist in locating their device. Now that he has the Apple ID he can easily reset the phone and sell it to someone else. Additionally, and perhaps more concerning, the suspect has the ability to gain personal and banking information by gaining access through this account.
The male was described in these circumstances as being between 20 to 25 years of age, 5’8” to 5’9” in height, tan skin or darker complexion, dark hair and wearing a white shirt. The women have spoken to other friends who have had similar recent experiences.
Kingston Police urge caution if a stranger attempts to use the same technique.
If trying to locate a missing device with the “Find My iPhone” app only use a trusted friend’s phone, and even if doing so enter your own email address and password so no one else knows what it is. Also remember to sign out of the app from the friend’s phone so they cannot continue to track the device in the future. As a deterrence always use a password or Touch ID for your device. Lastly, be sure to setup the “Find My iPhone” capability in Settings>iCloud>Find My iPhone. You can also allow the setting to automatically send the location of the device to Apple when the battery is critically low. However, this will not be of any assistance if the thief turns off the phone.
If a similar experience occurs try to change or reset your Apple ID password immediately from a computer, report your phone stolen or missing to Kingston Police, and contact your wireless provider as well for further support.
— UPDATE — Since this notice from Kingston Police, posts to social media indicate there were multiple instances of this scam at other establishments on the weekend, including at Stages Nightclub.
Release source: Kingston Police on Facebook | Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns (cc)