Looters With Stolen iPhones Are Being Tracked, Apple Warns

• Rioters and looters have stolen iPhones from Apple stores in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia.
• Apple warned that they have the capability to disable and track stolen phones.

As protests and riots continue across the United States, looters have been breaking into high-end stores for the past days. Looters have taken advantage of the protest to steal gadgets from several Apple stores in major cities.

In a video, looters were spotted vandalizing the Apple Store, with some running away with boxes of iPhones and Macs. Little did they know, however, that they won’t be able to get away from the crime.

Stolen Apple devices are automatically disabled – and the thieves are tracked.

A Twitter user named Josh posted his stolen disabled iPhone. The screen bears a message, asking the looter to return the mobile to “Apple Walnut Street”.

Apparently, Apple have proximity software installed in their devices. This software disables a stolen device as soon as a looter opens it.

Apple has closed majority of their stores in the U.S.

The tech giant made a “heartbreaking” decision to close down most of its US stores to protect their employees from aggressive looters.

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a message to his employees saying that Apple recognizes the “fear, hurt, and outrage” rightly provoked by the “senseless killing of George Floyd”.

“We (at Apple have) always drawn strength from our diversity, welcomed people from every walk of life to our stores around the world,” he added.

Looters and rioters attacked and damaged Apple Stores in Washington D.C, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia.

The chaos started when a police officer arrested George Floyd, 46, for allegedly forging a $20 bill. Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin pinned Floyd’s neck down to death.

Americans condemned Floyd’s death and campaigned against police brutality by taking their frustration out on the street. Eventually, violence escalated and some rioters started burning public establishments including the Minneapolis Police Department, churches, restaurants, and small businesses.

Meanwhile, looters took advantage of the opportunity to break into high-end stores such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, and other shops in Beverly Hills, California.