Suffolk DA: Cellphone porch pirates used inside information to track packages
Employees from this wireless company were bribed to provide vital customer details, including names, tracking numbers and delivery addresses, further facilitating the thefts.
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Authorities have taken down an international cellphone theft ring that operated by targeting doorsteps shortly after deliveries were made.
According to Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney, porch pirates were able to steal cellphones with alarming precision, often knowing exactly what was inside the packages they took. The criminals were tipped off by an inside source who provided them with information about where and when deliveries would occur.
“These thieves would receive information from outside the country, including lists of locations where deliveries were taking place,” said District Attorney Tierney. The operation appeared so well-planned that the thieves seemed to always be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the deliveries.
The theft ring’s reach extended beyond Suffolk County, with federal authorities revealing that the criminals employed computer scripts to track FedEx shipments and other deliveries from an unnamed wireless provider. Employees from this wireless company were bribed to provide vital customer details, including names, tracking numbers and delivery addresses, further facilitating the thefts.
In a coordinated operation, Suffolk police raided locations in the Bronx, which was part of a larger bust.
Since August 2023, more than 200 cellphones have been stolen from porches across Suffolk County alone, according to the DA. Authorities believe these thefts are connected and were orchestrated as part of the same operation.
Thirteen individuals are now facing federal charges in connection with the theft ring.
