Stolen iPhone found over 2000 miles away after thief made rookie mistake

An iPhone 13 Pro Max was recovered from a repair shop over 2000 miles away after it was stolen from a mailbox.

iPhones get stolen all the time, but very rarely do they get recovered. A lot of things need to go right for you to be reunited with your stolen iPhone, but a recent incident shared on Reddit showed it’s possible. A user was able to recover their stolen iPhone 13 Pro Max from over 2000 miles away after the thief made a rather foolish mistake.

A Redditor had their phone stolen after sending it for repair to an eBay merchant. The thief broke into the merchant’s mailbox and stole the phone. However, the thief wasn’t exactly a mastermind, and took the phone to a repair shop, which helped the Redditor get their phone back.

Stolen iPhone 13 Pro Max found in a repair shop

Apple

Reddit user Wavy_will shared that they “recently purchased an iPhone 13 Pro Max from a colleague” for just $100. However, the phone had a broken back, which forced the user to send it for repair to an eBay merchant after Apple quoted “an outrageous price of $499”.

“I turned to the internet and found a few merchants on eBay who could fix it for a lot less. After reading reviews, I chose one and sent my phone to them in Woodhaven, NY, through the USPS,” wrote the Reddit user.

Wavy_will was later informed by the eBay merchant in Woodhaven that their phone was missing. The user explained that the merchant’s “mailbox was broken into and the phone was taken to a store to get fixed by the thief.”

Since the Reddit user had Apple’s Find My feature enabled, they were able to track the iPhone.

“The location showed that it was at a ‘fix it’ shop in Brooklyn, NY, but I found out that the shop was not reliable and often sold stolen phones. I tried filing a police report over the phone, but the Brooklyn PD was not helpful and said I couldn’t file a report over the phone,” they said.

The Reddit user decided to call the repair shop and explained their ordeal.

“I informed them that the phone was stolen, and they agreed to hold it for me. They asked if I still wanted to go ahead with the repair, which would cost $100. I said yes and asked one of my friends in Brooklyn, who works at Apple, to mention my name to get it,” said the Redditor.

Luckily, the user was able to get the repaired iPhone back in a tale of how Apple’s tracking tech can help you recover your stolen devices.