Apple Crime Log: Long Island Heist, Apple Pay Scams, and Irony in Thailand
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It’s time for another dive into the Apple Crime Log, where we cover a variety of crimes related to Apple and its products. In this edition, brazen robbers steal multiple Apple products outside an Apple store, thieves use Apple Pay to steal from victims, and a fortune teller ironically never saw it coming.
Robbers Intercept Delivery Outside of Apple Store
The New York Post reports that a group of gunmen performed a “brazen stickup” outside of an Apple retail store in Long Island.
The bad actors — all of them dressed entirely in black — overpowered a pair of delivery workers at the Apple Store located at the Americana Manhasset mall and held them at gunpoint while stealing a load of Apple products from the workers’ truck parked outside of the store. The theft occurred before the store opened, at around 8:05 a.m. on January 3, 2026, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Both workers, the Post said, were 65-year-old males, and thankfully, neither was injured.
Scammers Use Victims’ iPhones to Steal Money Via Apple Pay
A gang of thieves working in Chicago’s River North neighborhood has been running a scam that involves tricking likely intoxicated people into turning over their iPhones, at which point the thieves use Apple Pay or Zelle to transfer money.
ABC 7 reports this happened at least four times on a specific block in the neighborhood in December. Bad guys would approach victims at around 3 a.m. on weekend nights, telling them to give them their phones by asking for a donation or a follow on Instagram.
If the victims refused to hand over their phones, the assailants “took them by force.”
Police are warning people not to walk around while holding their phones in plain sight. Or, here’s a thought: maybe just keep your phone in your pocket entirely when you’re leaving the bars at 3:00 a.m. Just a thought.
Ohio Man Puts “Old iPhone” to Work, Catching Thieves
A Columbus, Ohio, man used an old iPhone to track thieves after having his vehicle broken into three previous times.
DeJuan Davidson, whose car had been broken into three times previously, left his “old iPhone” in his car, allowing him to track it in the event of another theft, according to ABC 6. The Columbus Dispatch added that it was an “old iPhone,” which still had service, meaning it could be tracked.
He began tracking the iPhone and informed Columbus police, who found the iPhone as well as the five crooks that filched it. Police arrested one 18-year-old and four juveniles, the youngest of whom was 14 years old. The group faces several charges, including carrying concealed weapons, improper handling of a firearm, and tampering with evidence.
When informed of the ages of the hooligans, Davidson said, “I think it’s about what goes on in the household. I think it’s leadership they need.”
Davidson later posted to social media, requesting to meet with the parents of the accused. He has since spoken to the 18-year-old’s mother multiple times.
He Didn’t See It Coming: Fortune Teller Arrested for iPhone Theft
A fortune teller in Thailand accurately predicted a client’s misfortune, but he failed to predict his own arrest for causing it. Udomsap Mueangkaew, a 38-year-old fortune teller in Pattaya, stole the handset after telling a female customer that she would “soon face bad luck [and] the loss of a valuable item.” He then made his own prediction come true by stealing her iPhone.
The South China Morning Post reports that, when confronted, the fortune teller denied the theft, saying the loss proved his powers were real. He even described the appearance of the supposed thief.
The fortune teller had asked for money to prevent the prophecy from coming true, according to the report.
