26 August 2008

Police Wrap - 26 August

| johnboy
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1. Psst… wanna buy a cheap iPhone?

    ACT Policing is investigating the theft of $75,000 worth of mobile phones from Westfield Belconnen overnight (August 24/25).

    Thieves have accessed a room adjacent to the centre’s top-level food court sometime between 5pm Sunday, August 24 and 9am Monday, August 25 and stolen a large quantity of Apple i-Phone, Samsung and Nokia brand phone handsets. A quantity of cash was also taken.

    Police would urge anyone who may have witnessed suspicious persons in the area of the food court, Coles supermarket loading dock or open-air car park to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.act.crimestoppers.com.au

    If members of the public are approached by persons attempting to sell them suspected stolen handsets they should report it to police immediately on 131444.

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and if you buy one from a guy at the pub, and get caught with it, guess who gets to face court?

you do chucky,

you do.

of course, with the new apple update service, they could always just brick the phone. it don’t work at all…

stonedwookie said :

davo iphones are more like 800 bucks

I think you got my post mixed up – italics is a quote.

They bother with them as the person buying the dodgy phone is the one who ends up caught with it not the seller who is still making the bucks.

stonedwookie9:08 pm 26 Aug 08

davo iphones are more like 800 bucks

GregW said :

Why bother with mobile phones?

Probably opportunist.

All IMEI numbers will have been recorded by the store and presumably will be added to the stolen phones blacklist preventing their use on any carrier in Australia (and most of the world).

Why bother with mobile phones?

Monster of the Deep6:10 pm 26 Aug 08

Spideydog said :

Did you actually tell any security guards or the Police about this “encounter” or did you not tell anyone and go about your day expecting something to be done without passing this information on??

Didn’t say I expected anything to be done, did I? Nah, I didn’t tell anyone because the security guards already knew about it and he was a regular, therefore I couldn’t add anything of assistance to anyone. I just hustled out of there. This was at least a year ago or more, by the way!

RAGD said :

$75,000 / $500 = 150 Phones. That’s a fair bit of phone boxes to be moving around. It would have taken then a while to move. Surely someone on the inside is involved.

Maybe one or two shopping trolleys worth? It wouldn’t be that hard to find the store room, just watch the workers lock up at the end of the day.

Wayne should be able to clear this up for us.

; )

Inside job?

I don’t know how much iphones or any phones are these days. But just hypothetical, $500 each(average?)

$75,000 / $500 = 150 Phones. That’s a fair bit of phone boxes to be moving around. It would have taken then a while to move. Surely someone on the inside is involved.

Or have I been watching too much CSI/NYPD Blue/Blue Heelers?

I knew I had to be doing it wrong ….

*hehe*

I don’t know why, but this has to be one of the least memorable numbers.

It all depends on you emphasis, you’re probably thinking of the number as “131 444” instead of “131 444!”. It makes a huge difference.

Monster of the Deep said :

A really shady-looking guy standing outside the Belconnen Mall entrance to Woolies offered to sell me a phone for $20. I was pretty intimidated and said no and walked away hurriedly. Apparently that guy was there all the time and the security guards didn’t do anything about it.

Did you actually tell any security guards or the Police about this “encounter” or did you not tell anyone and go about your day expecting something to be done without passing this information on??

Monster of the Deep said :

But I doubt calling the police would amount to anything. They’d be like, “Oh, really? Well, okay. That’s nice but currently our resources are caught up in traffic operations.”

Well allllrighty then …….

johnboy said :

As if you’d take it in for a service.

oh, they do. very funny to see when they are asked for their phone number, and address.

most never come back….

If members of the public are approached by persons attempting to sell them suspected stolen handsets they should report it to police immediately on 131444.

I don’t know why, but this has to be one of the least memorable numbers.

Trust me, when you see the shady little men selling hot Apples, and you’re feeling in the mood for a good dob, you’ll be like, ‘WTF was that number again?’

Why can’t they have something like 13POLICE or 13HELP?

“sometime between 5pm Sunday, August 24 and 9am Monday, August 25”

hmmm pretty tight timeline there

Monster of the Deep2:36 pm 26 Aug 08

A really shady-looking guy standing outside the Belconnen Mall entrance to Woolies offered to sell me a phone for $20. I was pretty intimidated and said no and walked away hurriedly. Apparently that guy was there all the time and the security guards didn’t do anything about it.

But I doubt calling the police would amount to anything. They’d be like, “Oh, really? Well, okay. That’s nice but currently our resources are caught up in traffic operations.”

As if you’d take it in for a service.

won’t do them any good – apple iphones have serial numbers. Apple records serial numbers and lets the Apple repairers know the serial numbers of stolen items.

person has problem with iphone, takes to repairer. game over.

alternatively, they use a prepaid card, without 3g capability. phone is basically a big brick, no connectivity.

you need the IMEI number to register the phone to a sim on the networks, Apple (I am sure) will be letting the providers know what the IMEI numbers are….

Alright, which is the more believable hypothetical situation?

Situation 1)
Thief: “Psst, mate, wanna buy a new iPhone, in box, for half its normal cost?”
Person: “POLICE! POLICE! I WISH TO REPORT THIS MAN AS A CRIMINAL!”

Situation 2)
Thief: “Psst, mate, wanna buy a new iPhone, in box, for half its normal cost?”
Person: “Well, shit, I’ll take 2!”

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