If You're Going To Steal Something, Perhaps Avoid A Phone Demoing A GPS Tracking Program

from the protip dept

Thu, Jul 22nd 2010 6:14am — Mike Masnick

These days, lots of smartphones have apps for tracking the location of the phones, so stealing one of them is probably becoming increasingly risky for thieves. But, still, in a move that didn't bode well at all, Horatio Toure supposedly used his bicycle to ride up to a woman in San Francisco carrying an iPhone, and snatched it out of her hands. The only problem? The woman had it to demo a new "real-time GPS tracking program." It took all of about 10 minutes for the police to track down Toure, about a half a mile away. Nice work.

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Filed Under: gps, phone, steal

28 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:32am

Smells like a Setup
Sounds suspiciously like a marketing stunt to promote the said real-time GPS tracking program. I bet the charges against Horatio get dropped very soon.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:35am

This goes with the guy that used lemon juice to turn invisible to cameras and was shocked when he was arrested.

I wonder when parents will start using those phones to track their children and go straight to the motel room they are in.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:35am

Won't get fooled again....
"It took all of about 10 minutes for the police to track down Toure, about a half a mile away. Nice work."

Seems like this wannabe criminal really....

*Puts on sunglasses*

....phoned it in.

YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!

(Bonus points because the moron's name was Horatio)
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Steve R. (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:41am

Well that's Good News
Many years ago we lost our Sprint phone. After calling the phone, it became "stolen" as it became obvious that the finder had no intention of returning it. Called up Sprint to help us retrieve the phone by giving us the numbers being called from that phone. Sprint said "NO" and offered no further advice or help on recovering the phone, other than turning the phone off, which we did. Sprint BAD.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:45am

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!
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Kingster (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 6:59am

Re: Well that's Good News
You're doing it wrong...

See, what you do (even years ago, but easier now) is claim it was stolen a day or two after. Sprint leaves a few calls on your bill, then you have the numbers. You may have had to wait until your bill showed, but still... It's easier now because you can see calls almost as they happen on your online account.
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NAMELESS ONE, 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:01am

i know what happens next time
he rides up GRABS phone smashes it then points his uber large gun at lady for cash , no cash BAM your dead

only witnesses tell tales
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Michial Thompson, 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:02am

Re: Well that's Good News
I had my car broken into and my laptop bag stolen along with some other expensive equipment ($7500 worth). One of the items was my Sprint PCS Aircard...

Sprint could have helped me recover everything by just telling me where the damn this was, but rather they just said that it was in use while I was on the phone and offered to turn it off...

The bastards lost my business immediately after...
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Richard (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:05am

One for the book of heroic failures along with..
The French burglar who raided the fridge and then settled own in the spare room to sleep off his meal.

The burglar who left his dog at the scene. The police said "home boy"...

The bank robbers who drove their getaway car straight into the police station.

The bank robbers who got stuck in the revolving door.....twice.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:07am

Re: Re: Well that's Good News
How in the world did you write that entire post without the words "little mikee"?
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Michial Thompson, 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:13am

Re: Re: Re: Well that's Good News
It was hard
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Verve (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:17am

Re: One for the book of heroic failures along with..
or my favorite - the thieves who tried to pull an ATM out of a wall by wrapping a chain around it, then to the bumper of their van which conveniently had the license plate on it....
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Dark Helmet (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 7:32am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Well that's Good News
That's what she said....
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res2 (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 8:01am

Re: One for the book of heroic failures along with..
drunk breaks into liquor store...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezmMO3pn3dk
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jilocasin0@yahoo.com, 22 Jul 2010 @ 8:13am

My favorites....
The man who tried to hold up a gun store at knife point...
Shot by the owner.

The man who held up a bank where the teller _required_ that he fill out a form _before_ she handed him the money. Bank policy. He did, using his _real_ name and address.
Police picked him up a short time later.

The man who robbed a bank and then walked across a field to his house, _behind_ the bank he robbed.
Police followed his trail to his house and arrested him.

The woman who robbed a bank and used a taxi cab as the getaway car. Which she had drive her home.
Police asked the taxi company where she was dropped off and arrested her at her house.

I've always thought that police were rather dumb. The only thing saving us is that as a rule the crooks are even dumber.
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Moses George, 22 Jul 2010 @ 8:22am

hahaha.....point taken
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Sean, 22 Jul 2010 @ 9:21am

More stupidity
What about the guy fleeing police who climbs a fence that leads into a prison.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/03/30/Fleeing-suspect-ends-up-in-prison-yard/UPI-3850126 9976177/
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Berenerd (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 9:28am

Tracphone teft...
Had someone steal my tracphone once...it had 15 minutes of airtime left (got the phone for free) so I called him 15 times. (had friends do it too so that each time he answered it took a minute off. then he was SOL
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Michael, 22 Jul 2010 @ 9:28am

Re: Re: Well that's Good News
You would be the first one to blame Sprint if they told someone where their stolen phone was and that person went there and got killed or killed someone.

I had a phone stolen once. The response from the carrier? Call the police and report it stolen. Yup - that's the right response. Contributing to someone going off to attempt to recover their own stolen property is negligent and probably actionable.
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The Infamous Joe (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 9:31am

Re: Won't get fooled again....
I see no reason to read any further down the comments.

Well done, sir.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2010 @ 10:12am

Re: Re: Re: Well that's Good News
This is what's wrong with the world. Why can't the user of the information be held responsible instead of the originator? It isn't sprint's business what you do with that data--its between you and your god and the police.
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P3T3R5ON (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 10:32am

Ok really?
10min and he was 1/2 mile away and he was on a bike... if you are going to be a theif, get some proper excercise maybe?
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Deirdre (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 11:04am

Re: My favorites....
Toby Duckett was indicted on three counts of bank robbery and three counts of using a .22 caliber handgun to commit those robberies. The robberies happened at the Peoples Bank on 20th Street on March 2, March 26, and April 17. According to the indictment, Duckett stole $1,355 in the first robbery, $10,600 in the second, and $4,846 in the third robbery Huntington Police arrested Duckett at his home on April 22. He lived just steps from the bank.
My hometown should be so ashamed. http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/91892984.html
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Krusty, 22 Jul 2010 @ 11:13am

What a dumbass.
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Anonymous Coward, 22 Jul 2010 @ 11:23am

Google Helping U.S. Army To Launch Missiles From Their Phones

http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/07/21/google-helping-u-s-army-to-launch-missiles-from-th eir-phones/
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Chad, 22 Jul 2010 @ 12:27pm

Reminds me of a story I read about a year or so ago where this guy left his new iPhone in a bar. He went back 2 minutes later to look for it but it was gone (of course). He then realized he had activated the MobileMe tracking and was able to pin-point the location. He eventually caught up with the person who had taken it... someone who worked at the bar... who claimed they were going to turn it in. Yeah right.

If a phone doesn't have GPS, they often have locks on them which basically renders it useless to your average thief anyway.
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Brad Hubbard (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 1:19pm

Re: Smells like a Setup
Horatio Toure - Gorilla marketing consultant.
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Steve R. (profile), 22 Jul 2010 @ 1:53pm

Re: Re: Well that's Good News
Thanks exactly what happened. We lost the phone immediately after the close of the billing period and had to wait 30 days to get the bill. Of course everyone we called (who had received a call from that phone) denied any knowledge of who had called. Its simply another example of companies imposing necessary "road blocks" that frustrate the consumer. Fortunately, in the case of Mike's post the woman was able to get a positive response to retrieve her phone.
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