Two people have been arrested in connection with the thefts of Apple laptops through stolen QR codes.
The theft sprang up all over Southern California, with thieves using stolen QR codes to intercept purchased Apple products at stores, and in some cases, met the delivery driver at a person's home. Police in Glendale reported 13 cases.
Sergeant Jose Barajas with the Glendale Police Department told KNX News’ Karen Adams they learned the crooks purchased the QR codes off the Telegram app.
“They were contacted or contacted somebody and purchased information, and then they were able to go in and pick up the items, which were all high-end laptops, before the victims could go in there and pick up the items,” he said.
He said officers are not sure if the thieves hacked the victim's email or got the QR codes from a leak at Apple.
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“I don't want to make assumptions, but, you know, it could be an employee, a former employee that maybe had an access code, “ he said. “We don't know because there seem to be so many cases within the amount of time for us alone.”
He said officers are working with Apple security. Officers are still looking for two others involved in the thefts, a man and a woman.
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