iPhone theft victim receives death threats and video of shooter after stolen device is traced to China

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A city employee was warned, “You will be destroyed,” and sent a video of a man with a loaded gun after he managed to track down his stolen iPhone in China.

Christopher Bramah-Calvert received the shocking news after an e-bike rider snatched his phone from his hand outside a gym in High Holborn, central London.

The 38-year-old tracked his phone using the “Find My” app at two locations in London before it suddenly appeared in Shenzhen, southern China, a month after the theft.

Hundreds of stolen mobile phones from the UK have turned up on the street where the phone was located, Huafa South Road. Criminal gangs are believed to be sending the devices to the city in bulk to resell them or supply spare parts.

In addition, it is easier to unlock and sell stolen iPhones in Shenzhen, home to the world’s largest electronics market, police chiefs said. The Independent – however, the criminals demand that the devices be disconnected from the victims’ Apple accounts.

Mr Bramah-Calvert, whose phone was an iPhone 13, said: “I had been tracking it for days and then was surprised to suddenly see it in China and then I got messages on my husband’s phone.

“At first they came from someone claiming to have bought it and telling me to turn it off – but then it became threatening and then I was sent a video of a man with a gun. At first I was completely baffled.”

The PR rep then went online and found that other phone theft victims had also tracked their phones to the same location in the Chinese city and received similar messages, but without the video of an armed man.

One of the messages seen by The Independentsaid: “I know who you are and where you live, and your whole family is being slaughtered.”

Mr Bramah-Calvert ignored requests from police and his insurance company before the phone disappeared from the tracking app.

He said: “The threats and language were obviously part of the tactic to get me to release the device and the video would have been very intimidating to some people. I was shocked by the language.”

“I knew nothing would come of it, but if it had been my parents, they could have handled it differently.”

An online search shows that Mr Bramah-Calvert’s story is not an isolated case.

Apple’s own discussion boards and Reddit forums mention numerous other victims whose stolen phones ended up in Shenzhen, with some saying they were asked for their Apple ID and screen lock passwords.

Because of iPhones’ tight security, it’s difficult for criminals who steal a device to gain access to or use it unless they have the owner’s Apple account passcode or password, unless the password is remotely wiped from the account so someone else can use it, which also requires logging in.

This means the phones are largely useless to thieves who don’t have the necessary security information – and attackers may resort to violent or threatening messages in their attempt to obtain that information.

The number of mobile phone thefts reached a record high in 2023, with almost 85,000 across England and Wales, according to The times.

Inspector Dan Green of the City of London Police’s proactive crime team urged the public not to comply with criminals’ demands and to pass on device location information to the police as soon as it is available.

He said: “I can understand why (victims) say, ‘Yeah, fine, take it,’ but that’s exactly what they’re aiming for – they’re sending out these messages and making violent demands in the hope that people will just give in and give in.”

The theft of Mr Bramah-Calvert’s phone was reported to the Metropolitan Police, but Insp Green said his force had also dealt with cases where stolen devices had ended up in China.

His team uncovered an operation last year in which hundreds of phones were stolen in crimes such as robberies, knife-related robberies and burglaries by distraction, and some of the devices were then sent to Shenzhen.

After the number of phone thefts peaked at 143 cases in July 2022, police took a proactive approach to the problem. However, Insp Green urged victims to report any tracking information, adding that there was “not much” police could do once the phones arrived in China.

He said: “We’ll usually try to take a look, but we’ll also try to manage their expectations and say, ‘Look, it’s not as simple as turning up, knocking down a door and getting your phone. There’s a lot more to it than that.’

“But without this information, we will never know.”

Insp Green said it was not known how the phones were sent to China, but “many” phones could be boxed up and sent overseas.

While a stolen phone may be “too hot to touch” in the UK, in China it is unlikely to be noticed anywhere if legally reused, he said. He added: “I would say (they) are more valuable out there where they can either be recycled or dismantled.”

The Metropolitan Police said the theft of Mr Bramah-Calvert’s phone was being investigated but the case was closed “pending new investigative opportunities”.