GROSSE POINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — City of Grosse Pointe detectives have helped uncover the cause behind cell phone thefts that extends beyond the Grosse Pointes.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Grosse Pointe Farms police warn porch pirates are targeting FedEx iPhone deliveries
The investigation has revealed that thieves were utilizing the online app Telegram and group chat called FedExBot to orchestrate sophisticated delivery order thefts.
Grosse Pointe Farms resident Irene Sun experienced this when her new iPhone was stolen just moments after it was delivered in February.
“It's a big deal that goes a lot deeper than just someone taking a phone off of a porch," Sun says.
According to City of Grosse Pointe Detectives, the suspects operated through a sophisticated network that exploited Telegram chat groups to gain access to FedEx shipping and tracking information for iPhones sent by Verizon and AT&T via FedEx.
City of Grosse Pointe Detective Joseph Adams says thieves would pay for this information and then be able to track and steal the packages moments after delivery.
Adams explained how the operation worked: “Daily, they would receive a list of purchases. This included personal identification, names, and tracking numbers. Where the problem lied was they were then able to go into the FedEx app and change it, the delivery, for signature.
Since November 2024, there have been over a dozen reports of stolen phones in the Grosse Pointes. A recent arrest in the City of Grosse Pointe provided investigators a significant breakthrough in the investigation because of Apple Pay tracking.
“I was able to work off of that number and link that to a person in Massachusetts,” Detective Adams said.
FULL INTERVIEW: Det. Sgt. Joesph Adams with Grosse Pointe police talks about phone thefts in the city
Investigators revealed that the thieves were reportedly paying between $35 and $40 for tracking information on each package containing a cell phone.
Last week, Homeland Security arrested and charged 13 people linked to this nationwide and international crime ring on the East Coast and the Dominican Republic, including two FedEx employees and two retail employees from cellular carriers who were allegedly providing the criminal network with sensitive shipping and tracking information.
“It's very sophisticated and very scary that our information is out there and grabbing stuff right from our house,” said Irene.
