IPhone thefts are not always committed for the same purpose. Especially in Brazil, IPhone crooks focused on a goal beyond resale. According to an interesting report published in a newspaper in this country, the same criminals explain how they steal the iPhone to access the bank accounts of the victims.
After São Paulo police arrested 12 people and identified 28 others involved in the iPhone theft, they determined how they access bank accounts, through a very simple process. The local newspaper Folha de S used several of those captured as a source. One of them even mentions that it can “unlock all iPhones, from the 5th to the 11th.”
IPhone thefts in Brazil aren’t just about mobile
According to the article by Folha de S, criminals only need the sim card of the iPhone then they put it on another iPhone. Using social networks like Facebook and Instagram, they can easily find the email address used by the person whose phone was stolen. In most cases, this email address is the same one used for your Apple ID. All they need to do is reset Apple ID password using victim’s phone number.
According to the police chief, Fabiano Barbeiro, the easiest way for criminals to find passwords is to look at the Notes app. Since many users seem to store bank and credit card passwords there. However, with access to iCloud account, they can also easily get all iCloud Keychain passwords.
When they download data from the cloud to the new device, They are looking for information related to the word “password” and, according to them, they usually get what they need to access the victim’s bank accounts.. Once they have this information, they put the SIM card back into the victim’s phone and hand the device over to the gang member tasked with accessing the bank accounts.
One of the arrested suspects is a 22-year-old computer technician, who told police he knew at least three other people who were instructing criminals interested in obtaining stolen smartphone passwords. However, Police don’t rule out the possibility that some gangs have access to more complex tools to unlock iPhones the victims.
Due to this situation which undermines the safety of users, Apple promised in a statement to the Brazilian newspaper that it will be easier for users to delete all data from a stolen iPhone. However, the company has not given details on exactly what it will implement. With iOS 15, users will finally be able to track a turned off iPhone using the Find My app.
