Apple’s Covent Garden store in London has been robbed early this morning local time. Just like in the movies, a gang consisting of seven thieves on mopeds has raided the prominent retail spot in an attempt to steal iOS devices and Mac notebooks. The smash and grab, per The Next Web, was first reported by Rob Shoesmith who described hearing “a load of motorbikes” around 1:15am. According to The Metropolitan Police, the thieves stole iPads and “other similar devices”, adding in a statement:
An abandoned moped was found in the vicinity of Wyclif Court, St John Street EC1. Officers subsequently apprehended two individuals inside the block of flats, carrying Apple gear in bags. Apple opened the Covent Garden Store August 7 last year and recently used the outlet to live-stream the October 4 event to U.K. journalists. Criminals are increasingly targeting Apple stores for hot gear that commands high prices on the street. It’s not just individuals or small groups, mind you…
Police recently busted a huge identity theft ring spanning several countries from Europe to the Middle East and China. They used stolen credit cards to mostly purchase Apple products for the purpose of exporting them to gray markets and selling for cold hard cash. The well-organized criminal organization employed the skills skimming waitstaff who stole users’ credit card information, but also relied on other skimming techniques that include malware and trojan card and Bluetooth gas pump skimmers. “Apple is a big ticket item and a very easy sell,” NYPD deputy inspector Gregory Antonsen told the International Business Times, calling this one “primarily an Apple case”.
