this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2023
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Thieves return Android phone when they realize it's not an iPhone::A man in Washington, D.C. last month was the victim of an armed robbery in which the thieves stole “everything...

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[–] kernelle@0d.gs 13 points 9 months ago (8 children)

Both Apple's and Google's activation locks are actively being bypassed though. It's probably not being done by a run-of-the-mill thief, but it can be done, if not for a price.

[–] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

True. But the average idiot stealing a phone to feed a habit isn't going to be able to bypass it. Of course those being stolen by order of a larger group can do it. But these locks severely reduced the number of opportunity thefts.

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Thieves sell to fences who know how to sell stolen items for maximum profit.

[–] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Did you not read anything I wrote?

And no, that isn't likely the path for stolen phones,especially when it's a theft of opportunity by someone looking to feed a drug habit. They aren't thinking about going to a fence who can give them what the phone is worth at that level of the chain.

As I said in another comment, the locks both apple and android put in years ago had a major impact on the theft of phones. It's pointless to steal them unless it's part of a larger operation or you're trying to get a phone that's unlocked so you can siphon money from someone instead of just reselling the phone.

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