Those stolen Antwerpian iPhones? They're in Russia

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

Biggs is the editor of TechCrunch Gadgets. Biggs has written for the New York Times, InSync, USA Weekend, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Money and a number of other outlets on technology and wristwatches. He is the former editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.com and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet him here and G+ him here. Email him directly at john@techcrunch.com. → Learn More

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TouchMyApps has the hot tip on those 4,000 iPhone stolen in Antwerp. The iPhones are now being fobbed off in Russia and salespeople are a little wary of getting their gear confiscated and or shut down.

The owner of shack at a local computer market who wishes to remain anonymous, confirmed that a lot of the nearby shops have already started to feature the Belgian phones, though not all of the owners decide to strike a deal with the thieves. The main concern is that Interpol is already on the case, and with serial numbers in hand, will be able to confiscate a large portion of the phones. Another matter – Interpol is likely to demand the that the phones’ IMEIs be disabled, making them worthless for Russian networks, and in turn drawing the ire of many customers. At the same time, not everybody tracks the latest news and the resellers who still haven’t heard about the theft often gladly fork over cash in order to stock the phones.

If you buy an iPhone in Russia, confirm the model number doesn’t end in NL. Your stuff could be shut down remotely if it is.

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