I-TEAM: Thieves swiping Apple devices where you’d least expect it
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s an elaborate scheme that investigators in several counties are trying to crack.
Electronic devices, primarily Apple devices, go missing after being delivered to people’s doorsteps.
We’re not talking about porch pirates, but potentially a much deeper operation.
Thieves are targeting Apple orders and Apple repair orders – leaving you without your device and without those important family photos, files, stored s and data.
Tucked away in the corner of a strip mall off Belair Road, Amber Savoy owns a small electronics repair store.
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She’s not only fixing Apple devices but now also trying to find their rightful owners.
Will: “Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
Savoy: “Never, and I’ve worked in this industry for 20 years. I’ve never seen that.”
At the beginning of January, surveillance video shows two men bringing a handful of electronics.
Savoy: “About 15 different devices that were all broken and they wanted to just give them a price on it.”
They were devices with names connected to them of people she didn’t know.
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“It was people who took their device to Apple to have the device repaired and they went missing. And here they’ve ended up here so I’m just trying to reconnect everybody with their devices,” said Savoy.
In total, Savoy says those devices cost more than $10,000.
So far, only five people have received their devices back, including a woman who saw her MacBook on Savoy’s Facebook post.
“There are a lot of us locally that this impacted,” said the woman.
Her computer with a cracked screen was sent out for repair by Apple. She says no tracking label was ever given to her, and her computer was just lost.
“I was concerned. I had like tax returns and things saved on my computer. And I had copies of it, but I just didn’t want that out there floating around. And I didn’t like that no one could tell me where the computer was,” said the woman.
Savoy says Apple told her there were 70 devices missing from the Augusta area.
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“We actually have two iPads that are unclaimed. We have three Apple watches that are broken and unclaimed. We the AirPods. We also have an iMac and this iMac I believe is valued probably around $3,000 or $4,000,” said Savoy.
But is there a bigger issue with Apple products being stolen?
The I-TEAM went digging and found pages of police reports in Columbia County.
Nearly 20 identical reports from October to January detail “stolen” Apple products across the county.
Almost every report includes an Apple product that was delivered exclusively by FedEx and ordered from Xfinity.
So, what’s going on with all of these missing Apple devices?
We talked to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, who sent us to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators say they’re still not sure who’s taking all these Apple devices.
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However, local law enforcement told the I-TEAM they’re unsure where exactly the issue is happening.
“I just want this to stop. I think they need to acknowledge that there’s some kind of issue,” said the woman.
What’s the remedy in all of this? What can you do to protect yourself?
Savoy says it’s always a good idea to back up your data before sending it out to Apple.
For people who have AppleCare warranty, she recommends having Apple send you a shipping label so you can ship it yourself directly to them versus going to an Apple store.
We did reach out to Xfinity and FedEx, who say they’re working to resolve these issues.
“We take package thefts very seriously and work closely with law enforcement to investigate and deter such activities. We encourage anyone who believes a shipment has been stolen to immediately local law enforcement and reach out to 1-800-GoFedEx to report the issue,” said FedEx in a statement.
Xfinity shared the process by which customers can make a claim.
Report a damaged or missing delivery:
- To report a damaged, lost or stolen delivery, call 1-888-936-4968 within 10 days of the delivery date.
- Don’t file a claim with the shipping carrier. Xfinity will work directly with the shipping carrier to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. They may require you to submit a police report or other documentation to the claim.
- They say they’ll keep you informed on the progress of our investigation by email.
Claims will be resolved
- Within five business days after documents are received from the customer; or
- Within five business days of case creation if no documents are required.
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