Aaron Johnson, a man serving a 94-month sentence for stealing iPhones, revealed in an interview how he made approximately $300,000 by hacking into victims' iPhones and manipulating their financial apps. Johnson targeted college men in bars and clubs, often convincing them to hand over their iPhones willingly. Once in possession of the devices, he would change the Apple ID password, deactivate tracking features, and access sensitive information like Social Security numbers. Johnson advised people not to share passcodes and shared his tricks to help others, stating that he is already serving time.
A former homeless man serving a 94-month sentence for stealing iPhones has revealed his tactics to the Wall Street Journal. Aaron Johnson targeted inebriated individuals in bars and clubs, often offering drugs or claiming to be a rapper to gain their trust. He would ask for their passcodes, record them, and quickly change passwords and biometrics to gain full access to the devices. Johnson would then exploit banking and cryptocurrency apps, transferring money and going on shopping sprees. Apple is introducing Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 to prevent such thefts in the future. Johnson shared his methods to help others and is already serving time for his crimes.
With the release of iOS 17.3, Apple aims to address the iPhone theft problem by introducing a Stolen Device Protection feature. The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern interviewed a prolific iPhone thief who exploited the iOS vulnerability to make over $20,000 every weekend. The thief would observe victims entering their passcodes, then steal their iPhones and change the Apple ID password to gain access to banking apps and personal information. Bars were the preferred target location, with college-age men being the ideal victims. The thief would erase the stolen iPhones and sell them overseas, making a significant profit. The criminal has since been sentenced to 94 months in jail.
A journalist interviews a convicted iPhone thief in a high-security prison to understand how thieves steal iPhones, passcodes, and money from victims' bank accounts, providing insights on how to protect oneself from such crimes.
A woman named Lori Aton had her iPhone stolen at an Olive Garden restroom, and she was able to identify the thief through her PayPal payment log. Despite reporting the incident to Apple, her cell phone provider, and the Scott Township Police, no investigation is underway, and the police have decided not to pursue the case.
