High tech porch pirates targeting new iPhones being delivered

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The holiday season is fast approaching and that means packages delivered to your doorsteps could be targeted by thieves,  often called “porch pirates.”

A new scheme has already started and is focusing on one specific, small but valuable item.

On October 1st, Pat Broaden had been waiting at home for her new iPhone 16 to be dropped off.

But as the video taken from her Ring camera shows, someone just walked up and took her phone.

Broaden said she never got a notification that the phone had been delivered and was surprised at how quickly the phone was stolen.

“So about 6 minutes after Fedex dropped my phone off, the porch pirate just walked up on my porch and took it,” Broaden said. “Basically, you know, I felt violated, you know, someone stealing from me.”

The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office said in the last several months, there has been a string of thefts of new iPhones taken from front porches across the county.

They said a data breach at a nationwide wireless carrier has allowed criminals to get access to detailed shipping information on these phones.

While two people have been arrested in connection with the thefts in New Hanover County, the sheriff’s office said it’s also a growing problem statewide and across the country.

Lieutenant Jerry Brewer said there are some things you can do to keep your new phones, or other packages, safe.

“So there’s a lot of things that we try to push out,” Brewer said. “Obviously if you can get packages delivered to work, thats a good thing. You may have a neighbor who works from home. Talk to them, hey do you mind if I have these delivered here so I don’t have them sitting out on my porch? You know, what you’re ordering, is that something we can get in, in house like can you go to the store recently and buy versus having it delivered, especially if its a high dollar item.”

Broaden said she has since had her phone replaced and that this incident has made her change how she will handle any future package deliveries.

Lieutenant Brewer adds that this scheme has resulted in several million dollars worth of iPhones being stolen across the country.