US - Using location-tracking software, a gang of criminals stole thousands of packages containing iPhones that were left on porches.
One day last December, three men walked into a Brooklyn phone repair shop at different times, handed the bags to the clerk behind the counter, and then walked out empty-handed.
The bags were taken to Wyckoff Wireless, a store that looked like most of its neighbors, except that it was being surveilled by federal agents. They suspected it was a middleman for selling thousands of iPhones.
In late 2024, US media reported a series of package thefts. Texas police told Boston25News at the time that the targets were mainly high-value devices such as the new generation iPhone from AT&T - which is considered the most vulnerable to theft due to the carrier's policy of not requiring a signature from the recipient. Meanwhile, Verizon and T-Mobile require a signature when delivering smartphones.
However, how did the thieves know the package contained an iPhone? In February, US law enforcement raided a Wyckoff Wireless store, blocked off the street, and searched with sniffer dogs. They then came out with large boxes. More importantly, the incident revealed how thieves steal and dispose of iPhones: exploiting technology combined with traditional bribery.
According to New Jersey state records obtained by the WSJ, in the Wyckoff Wireless case, the criminals used data-gathering software to track FedEx deliveries and bribe store employees to get detailed information about orders and delivery addresses. The group then sent people to pick up the packages and deliver them to collection points.
Data from the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office shows that the author of the delivery tracking software was identified as Demetrio Reyes Martinez, 37, aka CookieNerd, who lives in the Dominican Republic. He figured out how to bypass FedEx’s control of delivery data requests, wrote the software, and sold it via Telegram with detailed instructions on how to run the program.
Meanwhile, at an AT&T store in Paterson, New Jersey, last year, employee Alejandro Then Castillo repeatedly took photos of names, addresses, and customer ID numbers, then shared them with the criminals. According to prosecutors, he worked with another AT&T employee in Fort Lee and actively recruited others to join the shady “network” by bribing them. For each person he recruited, Castillo could receive $2,000 to $2,500.
US prosecutors said the ring included a group of people who worked as stowaways in stores, watching FedEx trucks and people who were sent to pick up packages on porches before the owners could come out to claim them. The scenario was similar: the FedEx driver dropped off the box containing the iPhone from AT&T and turned around, and a person appeared on the porch to pick up the package. The action happened so quickly that the FedEx driver and the thief could come face to face.
New Jersey police said Joel Suriel, the owner of Wyckoff Wireless, 31, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property. He previously pleaded guilty to masterminding a ring that stole customers’ credit cards to illegally purchase smartphones.
Meanwhile, FedEx and AT&T said they are working with the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, local police departments and the Dominican Republic's attorney general's office specializing in cybercrime to investigate the theft ring.
"Given the sophistication of bad actors, we have proactively partnered with law enforcement to address the issue of porch-door theft," a FedEx spokesperson said, adding that the company is adjusting its procedures to protect drivers and packages.
An AT&T spokesperson said the company regularly updates its procedures and trains employees to respond to increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics. The company also offers customers the option to secure their packages to prevent theft.
In addition to New Jersey, security camera videos show similar incidents occurring in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Michigan, Georgia, and Florida. According to the WSJ, the stolen products are then mainly shipped abroad for sale rather than consumed domestically.