Porch Pirate Criminal Network Stole Thousands of iPhones in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently cracked down on an international crime ring that targeted expensive electronics like the iPhone, with the workings of the complex crime system detailed in a report from The Wall Street Journal.

iPhone 16e Feature 1
Thirteen members of an international network worked to steal FedEx shipments of iPhones from people's porches, using automated scripts to scrape data from FedEx tracking systems and also bribing corrupt employees from AT&T. The employees took payments to share confidential customer information from a company order tracking system, snapping images of customer names, addresses, and tracking numbers.

Some members of the criminal network obtained and sold delivery information, while others, called runners, purchased that info and physically stole the ‌iPhone‌ packages from doorsteps just minutes after they were delivered.

Three of the criminals had a location in the Bronx neighborhood of New York where they received a steady stream of stolen devices, while another had a location in Brooklyn for receiving bulk deliveries of stolen devices from around the United States. Thefts occurred in multiple states, and the stolen devices were shipped and sold overseas.

At one point, two of the runners involved went to a FedEx store to send a package and claimed that there were baby clothes inside. FedEx security inspected the package, located stolen iPhones, and confiscated them. When the package arrived empty, one of the men complained to FedEx customer service that his iPhones had been stolen.

Both FedEx and AT&T worked with law enforcement officials to locate all of the criminals involved. In a statement, FedEx said that it has been proactively working with law enforcement to "address the rise of porch piracy," while AT&T said that it regularly updates its processes and employee training to thwart criminal tactics.

All of the people who participated in the criminal scheme have been charged, with some of them facing up to 20 years in prison.

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Top Rated Comments

Radeon85 Avatar
16 weeks ago
So when they deliver them, they just dump them at the front door? If so, that seems like very crappy security. Here in the UK, whenever I get an expensive device ordered from EE, they provide me with a pin over SMS or in my DPD courier app that I have to provide to the driver, or they will not hand it over to me. And back to EE it goes, and they certainly won't leave it on the doorstep for anyone to steal, even if I ask them to.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UliBaer Avatar
16 weeks ago
Go, get 'em! ?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
russell_314 Avatar
16 weeks ago
I wonder what country this “international crime ring” is from. Hopefully they get a free flight back there ?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 weeks ago

Thirteen members of an international network worked to steal FedEx shipments of iPhones from people's porches, using automated scripts to scrape data from FedEx tracking systems and also bribing corrupt employees from AT&T. The employees took payments to share confidential customer information from a company order tracking system, snapping images of customer names, addresses, and tracking numbers.

Some members of the criminal network obtained and sold delivery information, while others, called runners, purchased that info and physically stole the iPhone packages from doorsteps just minutes after they were delivered.
I knew this had to be inside jobs. How else would they know exactly when and where iPhones were being delivered by FedEx?


At one point, two of the runners involved went to a FedEx store to send a package and claimed that there were baby clothes inside. FedEx security inspected the package, located stolen iPhones, and confiscated them. When the package arrived empty, one of the men complained to FedEx customer service that his iPhones had been stolen.
? "Hey, someone stole my package of stolen iPhones"
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 weeks ago

I recently ordered a new MacBook Air from Apple. They didn’t require a signature. UPS dropped it at my door.

Apple also stopped allowing the recipient from redirecting packages to be held at a pickup location. If I knew I’d be away I’d sometimes redirect the delivery to the UPS Store a block from me. Apple took away that ability a few years ago.

That’s NOT something I want it to happen. If anything, apple of all companies should request signature on delivery for their iPhone iPad Mac etc no matter what.
Hey, you cannot fault Apple for not requiring a signature. Apple's profit margins are super thin. Apple paying for signature-required delivery would ruin them financially.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
16 weeks ago

I wonder what country this “international crime ring” is from. Hopefully they get a free flight back there ?
DoJ Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/thirteen-individuals-charged-part-international-ring-targeting-cell-phone-shipments

It names everyone involved:

NEWARK, N.J. – Thirteen members of an international network that stole thousands of shipments of iPhones and other electronic devices around the United States were charged today, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna, District of New Jersey, announced.

Demetrio Reyes Martinez, a/k/a “CookieNerd,” 37, of the Dominican Republic, Andrickson Jerez, 28, of Bronx, NY, Edickson Lora Castillo, 24, of New York, NY, Raimond Cabrera De Leon, 31, of New York, NY, Luis Marte Tavares, 33, of Brooklyn, NY, Frederick Duverge Guzman, 26, of New York, NY, rgJulio Vasquez Sanchez, a/k/a “BotTrack,” 30, of Brooklyn, NY, Alejandro Then Castillo, 45, of Paterson, NJ, Wilson Peralta Tavarez, 28, of Belleville, NJ, Ecker Montero Hernandez, 25, of Paterson, NJ, Jean Luis Diaz Dominguez, a/k/a “Botija,” 24, of Paterson, NJ, Luis Nunez, 23, of Paterson, NJ, and Joel Suriel, a/k/a “La Melma,” 31, of Brooklyn, NY, were each charged in Count One of the Criminal Complaint unsealed today with conspiracy to transport and receive stolen property.



And they thank the Dominican Republic so I'm thinking the devices were sent there...

Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna also thanked the Dominican Republic’s Procuraduría Especializada Contra los Crímenes y Delitos de Alta Tecnología (PEDATEC), (Specialized Prosecutor's Office for High Technology Crimes and Offenses) and HSI’s Newark Field Office for their collaboration in this matter.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)