How significant is the iPhone theft issue that iOS 17.3 resolves? The thief made over $300,000 by steeling at bars.

 

How significant is the iPhone theft issue that iOS 17.3 resolves? The thief made over $300,000 by steeling at bars.

On a successful weekend, the 26-year-old disclosed that he would unload 30 iPhones and iPads and earn $20,000.

A man in the US who stole hundreds of iPhones and is currently serving a 94-month sentence for it has revealed his trade secrets and provided advice on how to prevent similar thefts. 

Aaron Johnson, who was caught in Minnesota last year, disclosed to the Wall Street Journal in an interview how he was able to make almost $300,000 by just stealing iPhones and using their banking apps. 

Witnesses were surprised by his seemingly harmless approach since the convicted thief claimed that his victims frequently gave him their iPhones voluntarily. 

Talking with the publication, the 26-year-old disclosed that he would target college men in bars and clubs, as ladies were more likely to notice odd behavior. 

"They're already drunk and don't know what's going on for real," he claimed, making college males an easy victim. 

Johnson would frequently converse with his victims, posing as a rapper who wanted to add them on Snapchat and occasionally offering narcotics. 

After that, the victim would give their iPhone to him, expecting him to enter his phone number and then give it back. 

"Hey, your phone is locked," I say. How can I get the passcode? It's something like '2-3-4-5-6,' they say. "And then it just comes back to me," Johnson said.

Once inside, the 26-year-old would "faster than you could say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" alter the Apple ID password. He would also add his own biometric to FaceID and disable tracking tools like Find My iPhone. 

The latter was "the key to everything" since it provided access to iCloud Keychain credentials. 

Johnson added that he would immediately go for banking and cryptocurrency apps after quickly getting over a device's security measures. 

He would also examine notes and images for private data, such as Social Security numbers. 

After emptying those bank accounts overnight, he would eventually go to stores and use Apple Pay to make purchases. 

On a successful weekend, the 26-year-old disclosed that he would unload 30 iPhones and iPads and earn $20,000. 

He said to the source, "I had a rush for large amounts at a time." He answered, "I just got too carried away." 

The police claimed that Johnson and his associates had stolen $300,000, according to WSJ. He did, however, disclose that the actual amount is significantly higher—between $1 million and $2 million. 

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Notably, Apple completed all of this prior to the introduction of iOS 17.3, which includes Stolen Device Protection. 

When a phone or other product is in a new place, this function purposefully delays the implementation of password and Face/Touch ID changes by one hour. 

Johnson told the publication that passcodes should not be shared. "I'm already serving time" was his response when asked why he would divulge his tricks. 

"I just feel like I should try to be on the other end of things and try to help people," he said.