Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Android photo backup app reveals burglars' identities, stupidity]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/android-photo-backup-app-reveals-burglars-identities-stupidity/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/android-photo-backup-app-reveals-burglars-identities-stupidity/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/android-photo-backup-app-reveals-burglars-identities-stupidity/#comments Burglaries are an unfortunately commonplace event in daily urban life, but on some very rare occasions their outcomes give cause for celebration and maybe even a smile. Two young men from the Portland area, keen to get on the smartphone bandwagon without paying, broke in and stole a pair of Motorola Android handsets (along with other electronics) from a nearby household. What they didn't foresee, however, was that one of the phones would have the free Lookout app, which automatically backs up all photos taken with the handset to a user-accessible server every night. So, in the midst of testing out their ill-gotten loot, the criminals provided the phone's legitimate owner with enough visual clues for the police to swoop in and apprehend one of them. The search for his partner in crime continues, but the "gadget versus man" fight has already concluded with a clear win for what we presume was a Droid.

[Thanks, John]

Android photo backup app reveals burglars' identities, stupidity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidbackupburglarburglarycrimecriminaldata backupDataBackupillegallawlegallookoutmotorolaphoto backupPhotoBackupphotosrobberysmartphonetheftthievesTue, 12 Jan 2010 08:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Burglars break into restaurant, steal HDTV, leave money / food behind]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/burglars-break-into-restaurant-steal-hdtv-leave-money-food-b/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/burglars-break-into-restaurant-steal-hdtv-leave-money-food-b/http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/29/burglars-break-into-restaurant-steal-hdtv-leave-money-food-b/#commentsNot that we'd have any expert knowledge in the wide world of theft, but this just doesn't seem like the best way to go about snagging a new HDTV. At any rate, an undisclosed amount of thieves reportedly drove a truck (or large SUV... it was dark outside, okay?) into the front door of Los Tres Amigos restaurant in a small Pennsylvania town, broke the glass, ganked a 47-inch Insignia HDTV and "fled the scene." For starters, you'd risk prison for an Insignia? Really? Second, with LCD prices tanking like never before, don't you think you could've waited until Black Friday to get yourself a steal? Sigh.

[Image courtesy of Hotel Interactive]

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Burglars break into restaurant, steal HDTV, leave money / food behind originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>comedycrimecriminalfunnyhdPennsylvaniarobberystealstealingstolentheftthiefWed, 29 Oct 2008 16:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Robber holds up bank, doesn't bother to get off his cellphone]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/#comments
Make no mistake, we've seen some fairly boneheaded moves made by technologically-illiterate bank robbers, but the latest case involves a fellow who was quite the opposite of that. Yes, the 20 to 25 year male who decided to hold up an Alabama bank the day before his taxes were due actually did the deed without hanging up his cellphone. And there's surveillance footage to prove it. Quite honestly, we can't imagine what the conversation here would've been like, but at least he made the most of whatever minutes he had remaining as a free man, right?

[Via textually]

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Robber holds up bank, doesn't bother to get off his cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bankbank robberbank robberyBankRobberBankRobberycrimecriminalCulturedumbmobilepolicerobberystupidtheftthiefweirdThu, 17 Apr 2008 06:14:00 EST<![CDATA[Robber holds up bank, doesn't bother to get off his cellphone]]>http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/17/robber-holds-up-bank-doesnt-bother-to-get-off-his-cellpho/#comments
Make no mistake, we've seen some fairly boneheaded moves (even someone rocking this very same gaffe!) made by technologically-illiterate bank robbers, but the latest case involves a fellow who was quite the opposite of that. Yes, the 20 to 25 year male who decided to hold up an Alabama bank the day before his taxes were due actually did the deed without hanging up his cellphone. And there's surveillance footage to prove it. Quite honestly, we can't imagine what the conversation here would've been like, but at least he made the most of whatever minutes he had remaining as a free man, right?

[Via textually]

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Robber holds up bank, doesn't bother to get off his cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 06:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Odds are, if you're committing a series of robberies while wearing an ankle bracelet put on you by the law, you might not be the brightest bulb in the bunch. That's exactly what one Ohio resident got up to recently, though unfortunately for him, he was located by the GPS chip embedded in the aforementioned bracelet. Apparently, after six or so burglaries in his neighborhood, police got wise to the situation and pinpointed James Wombles using signals from his fashionable accessory, finding him innocently relaxing in a vehicle filled up with stolen items. The man had no comment, though we imagine upon capture he might have said something like, "Durrr." Once again GPS technology proves it's not just for getting cars stuck in cherry trees.

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Crime spree ends thanks to GPS ankle bracelet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ankle braceletAnkleBraceletcrimecriminalgpsrobberytrackingThu, 13 Mar 2008 12:13:00 EST<![CDATA['Speed' in a grocery store? FBI investigates telecommuting robbers]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/speed-in-a-grocery-store-fbi-investigates-telecommuting-robbe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/speed-in-a-grocery-store-fbi-investigates-telecommuting-robbe/http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/30/speed-in-a-grocery-store-fbi-investigates-telecommuting-robbe/#comments
High-tech foreign criminals may have hacked into retail security systems in order to remotely monitor customers and employees in the course of at least 12 bold robberies in as many states during the past week, officials say. FBI agents are seeking an individual or group of conspirators who have been calling stores and banks from Texas to Kansas to Rhode Island on pre-paid, overseas cellphones and informing whomever picks up that a bomb will be detonated at the location if funds are not wired to a specific offshore account. What's more, the caller claims to have visual surveillance of the premises and proceeds to give certain accurate details about the environment -- in one case attempting to get a hostage to cut off another's fingers, and in another forcing everyone in the store to strip naked. CNN is reporting that at least $13,000 has been extorted so far -- though the total is likely much higher -- and that investigators are now pursuing a suspect in Portugal "who appears to be linked to the account number" that the money is being transferred to.

Read- CNN
Read- KPHO

[Via Slashdot]

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'Speed' in a grocery store? FBI investigates telecommuting robbers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A band of would-be PlayStation-delivery truck thieves in Australia had the rug snatched out from under them when police used the vehicle's built-in GPS to track and locate the stolen goods. The truck, loaded with more than $1 million AUD worth of PS2s, was taken from a freight depot in Sydney that the thieves had broken into. The group of evil-doers would have made off clean, save for the fact that local authorities were able to follow the direction and speed of the truck to the gang's suburban shed, where they had begun unloading the game systems -- clearly they should have picked up a few tips from Best Buy's dastardly villains. When questioned later by police, the leader of the ring was reported to have said, "And we would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for your meddling GPS!"

[Thanks, Ricky C]

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GPS foils PlayStation thieves originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>gpsps2robberysonytheftMon, 23 Jul 2007 10:46:00 EST<![CDATA[Thieves take off with $50,000 worth of cellphones]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/25/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/25/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/25/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/#commentsThe anecdotal evidence for a spike in electronics robberies is piling up, with the latest high profile robbery netting the thieves $50,000 worth of cellphones from a T-Mobile store. Three armed men walked into the store in Fort Bend County in Texas on Thursday, and demanded the "good phones" from the store's safe and the tapes from the CCTV. Staff were tied up, and the thieves deposited the phones into black plastic bags and walked out. Unfortunately for the robbers, T-Mobile keeps a good track of its inventory, and can identify any of the phones if they turn up on the network (meaning that the $50,000 sticker value is much lower on the black market). Crime doesn't pay, especially when your stolen goods can be tracked.

[Via textually]

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Thieves take off with $50,000 worth of cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mobileRobberyStolent mobilet-mobileTexastmobileMon, 25 Jun 2007 12:49:00 EST<![CDATA[Thieves take off with $50,000 worth of cellphones]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/24/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/24/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/24/thieves-take-off-with-50-000-worth-of-cellphones/#commentsThe anecdotal evidence for a spike in electronics robberies is piling up, with the latest high profile robbery netting the thieves $50,000 worth of cellphones from a T-Mobile store. Three armed men walked into the store in Fort Bend County in Texas on Thursday, and demanded the "good phones" from the store's safe and the tapes from the CCTV. Staff were tied up, and the thieves deposited the phones into black plastic bags and walked out. Unfortunately for the robbers, T-Mobile keeps a good track of its inventory, and can identify any of the phones if they turn up on the network (meaning that the $50,000 sticker value is much lower on the black market). Crime doesn't pay, especially when your stolen goods can be tracked.

[Via textually]

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Thieves take off with $50,000 worth of cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jun 2007 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>electronicrobberystolentT-mobilethiefThievesSun, 24 Jun 2007 12:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Thieves rob Best Buy blind]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/22/thieves-rob-best-buy-blind/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/22/thieves-rob-best-buy-blind/http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/22/thieves-rob-best-buy-blind/#comments
A diabolical ring of super-thieves has been terrorizing the good people of Tulsa, OK., by conducting elaborate burglaries of stores like Best Buy and Office Depot. In their most recent exploit, the robbers cut two holes in the roof of a Best Buy, rappelled into the store, disabled the alarm system, and then stole more than 40 laptops, a number of plasma TVs and the store's safe. A local crime reporter claims they "leave behind no fingerprints, no witnesses and no surveillance tapes". They also reportedly have super-human strength, psionic powers, and can all fly at nearly supersonic speeds.

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Thieves rob Best Buy blind originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>best buyBestBuyoffice depotOfficeDepotrobberyFri, 22 Jun 2007 09:21:00 EST<![CDATA[California crooks nab 100,000 microchips]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/21/california-crooks-nab-100-000-microchips/http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/21/california-crooks-nab-100-000-microchips/http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/21/california-crooks-nab-100-000-microchips/#commentsProving that Malaysian industrial complexes aren't the only venues where shoddy security can facilitate the theft of thousands of PC components, a pair of crooks in California turned a minor fender bender into a successful heist of some 100,000 microchips on Tuesday afternoon. Police suspect that the men had been planning the crime for some time, as the victim's Fremont-bound Mazda MPV had just left a warehouse with $190,000 worth of chips when the robbers rear-ended it with their white van; rather than using weapons to subdue the driver, however, the two thieves simply waited until he exited the vehicle to discuss the accident, when one of them proceeded to slip into the minivan and drive away. The driver of the van followed suit, leaving the victim standing on the side of the road, no doubt confused and worried that his employer would chew him out for being so careless with the precious cargo. Although the brand of chip has not been revealed, since this all went down in Santa Clara, it's not too difficult to figure out whose products got pinched. So far authorities have no leads as to the whereabouts of the chips or the two robbers, but if someone in an MPV with license plate 4NKV115 tries to sell you a CPU for a buck and some change, do the right thing and notify law enforcement officials after you've purchased enough silicon to meet your needs. And if you're driving back home with your cheap booty when someone happens to ram your car, for heaven's sake, don't leave the keys in the ignition when you get out to exchange insurance info.

[Via Boing Boing]

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California crooks nab 100,000 microchips originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chipsheistintelmicrochipsrobberysanta claraSantaClarasiliconThu, 21 Dec 2006 15:12:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/28/ps3-crime-spree-part-iii-rise-of-the-righteous/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/28/ps3-crime-spree-part-iii-rise-of-the-righteous/http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/28/ps3-crime-spree-part-iii-rise-of-the-righteous/#commentsWhile selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn't worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn't quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for "attempted murder and robbery." One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains "on the loose." While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far -- so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we'd say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won't.

Update: Looks like the second fellow has now been apprehended and faces his own $1 million bond. Tsk tsk.

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PS3 crime spree, part III: Rise of the righteous originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Nov 2006 15:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>copscrimecrime spreeCrimeSpreecriminalholduplarcenymassachusettsmuggedmurderplaystation 3Playstation3policeps3robbedrobberysonywal-martTue, 28 Nov 2006 15:18:00 EST<![CDATA[On trial for computer theft, burglar steals PCs from courthouse]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/20/on-trial-for-computer-theft-robber-steals-pcs-from-courthouse/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/20/on-trial-for-computer-theft-robber-steals-pcs-from-courthouse/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/20/on-trial-for-computer-theft-robber-steals-pcs-from-courthouse/#commentsIn our last installment of Stupid Gadget Criminals, we brought you the amusing tale of two dimwitted Arkansas men who had made a habit of stuffing videogames from Wal-Mart down their pants and then reselling the stolen merchandise at a local GameStop outlet -- which happened to be right next door to the 'Mart. Today's episode features a Marin County, California gentleman by the name of Jon Houston Eipp who was caught by police trying to steal a number of Apple computers from Portal Publications in Ignacio; Eipp was captured following a brief struggle, while his accomplice was apprehended minutes later after crashing the getaway car on an off-ramp. So far there's nothing all that noteworthy about this crime -- until Eipp showed up in court last Wednesday for his hearing, that is -- when, upon being released on bail, he proceeded to hide in the Civic Center courthouse until closing time and steal even more computers by carting them out in a recycling bin. Even though he was stopped by maintenance workers and sheriff's deputies on the way out, Mr. Eipp still managed to vacate the premises without being apprehended, and might have remained a free man for awhile longer had he not been caught later that night trying to steal a 1996 Volkswagen. Although one might gather from this story that Eipp has a severe Internet addiction, he later admitted that he was just stealing the PCs for drug money, a habit that he'll hopefully be able to kick during a likely prison term of 4+ years.

[Via Fark]

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On trial for computer theft, burglar steals PCs from courthouse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Sep 2006 23:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>computercrimespcrobberystupid gadget criminalsStupidGadgetCriminalstheftWed, 20 Sep 2006 23:37:00 EST<![CDATA[Methods for escaping robbery with your iPod]]>http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/26/methods-for-escaping-robbery-with-your-ipod/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/26/methods-for-escaping-robbery-with-your-ipod/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/26/methods-for-escaping-robbery-with-your-ipod/#commentsIt should already be fairly obvious that your iPod is a hot commodity, and the last thing you need is a crazed individual taking a stab at you, or worse, swiping your portable. You've already been warned by the NYPD that rocking the token white headphones is a big no-no, and Thomas Pink even designed a shirt and tie to keep iPod-jackers at bay, but the folks over at CNET UK have a few tricks of their own to keep you from becoming a statistic. As you may or may not be aware, gadget theft in Britain is out of control, and the methods were devised after a CNET UK editor was mugged, not too dissimilar from a situation of our own. The gaffer tape method consists of taping the iPod to your body -- using 15 rounds of tape -- so that your assailant gets frustrated with the challenge and hopefully gives up pursuit, while the paperback method throws back to secrecy of old by suggesting you remove an inner chunk of a novel to let your iPod reside, and since most thieves don't care about bestsellers, you'll likely avoid a tragic conclusion. For owners living in really sketch areas, the Christopher Walken method is nearly foolproof: for Pulp Fiction fans, the iPod's hiding location comes as no surprise. For more clever disguising options to keep you and your Apple tagalong safe, be sure to hit the read link for CNET UK's suggestions, complete with "Anti-mugger" ratings and all.

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Methods for escaping robbery with your iPod originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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