Thieves are swiping iPhones before delivery in Columbia County
EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - If you’re ordering a new phone for home delivery, beware because some tricky thieves are leaving local customers empty-handed.
It happened five times in the past few days – and iPhones ordered through Xfinity are the thieves’ targets of choice.
In all five cases, a FedEx driver delivered the package, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
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On Wednesday, a 39-year-old woman reported she’d ordered an Apple iPhone 16 Plus through Xfinity. On Dec. 5, FedEx delivered a package that was supposed to be the phone to her address on Country Meadows Court in Martinez. The driver didn’t stay for her to sign for the package, she said. When she brought the package inside, it appeared it had been previously opened. Upon opening the package, she discovered the phone was missing, though the packaging was still in the box along with a packing list.
On Dec. 4, a 45-year-old Evans woman reported she’d ordered an iPhone 16 through Xfinity, and it was delivered by FedEx to an address on Iris Glen Drive. The driver handed the package to the recipient when she signed for it, she said. But her phone was missing. Strangely, her husband’s phone wasn’t taken out of the same package. Different types of tape were used on the outside of the box, which had been tampered with, a deputy reported.
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It was similar to what happened Dec. 5 in the 4300 block of Riverwatch Parkway. A 36-year-old woman ordered an iPhone 15 Plus from Xfinity. FedEx delivered the package and the driver handed the box directly to her, she told the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The iPhone box was still inside the package, but there was no phone. A deputy noticed different types of tape were used on the top and bottom of the package.
The same thing happened to a resident of Pheasant Run Drive in Evans. On Dec. 4, the 42-year-old woman got a package from Xfinity and delivered by FedEx that was supposed to contain an iPhone 16. The driver handed it to a resident who signed for it, according to deputies. When the woman opened the package, the seals had been torn off the iPhone box and the phone was gone. Someone had removed the tape from the bottom of the package and re‑applied it, a deputy noticed.
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One incident reported on Tuesday differed a little from the others because the recipient didn’t actually order the phone. The 74-year-old man reported that FedEx delivered a package to his address at 4615 Stoneridge Court, and inside was an empty iPhone 16 Pro Max box. Neither he nor his wife had ordered a new phone. He then learned that someone had ordered a phone on his without his consent and attempted three other orders, which Xfinity stopped, according to deputies.
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