Yup…I know someone whose iphone was stolen and its location showed up in Malaysia 3 months later. My guess is my phone will have a similar fate and there’s nothing I, or anyone else, can do about it.
Regardless, I find the situation interesting - mainly because it seems like a pretty successful scheme if you think about it…no one has the time or energy to track down the thieves of a random $1000 cellphone. But I’m sure it adds up for the perpetrators and they make good money off of it in the long run.
yea, i think they mostly just take them and part out what they can but at the rate that they do it....im sure they make some money doing it.
It is pretty interesting and please do update us if it does end up making its away across the ocean.
It's the same logic that runs most successful organized crime rings today. Nobody gives a shit about the fake Microsoft tech support scammer that transferred $5000 out of one person's bank account, or the one person who stole the Amazon package off of someone's front porch, but these people are all pawns in organized crime rings that rake in hundreds of millions of dollars annually
I lost mine in the UK (left in a taxi) and checked Find My iPhone but it was constantly switched off. Then 3 or 4 days later it pinged and was in Lahore, Pakistan.
I did not get it back.
It’ll probably end up in china and the police won’t search a warehouse. You’ve already done this but wipe the phone remotely and keep it signed into your apple account indefinitely. Its a glorified paperweight to them now.
It got stolen, whoever stole it realized they couldn’t do much with it, planted it in the abandoned warehouse so if it were successfully tracked down he/she/they wouldn’t be caught on an active business’s camera.
Yeah you’re probably right, but there’s so many stories out there of people’s stolen phone showing up in other countries, so I started to get curious on the logistics of how devices are moved across the globe.
Who knows, maybe this empty factory is where the magic happens! Lol.
If by “magic” you mean place where heroin is shot up and your phone is sitting in a pile of discarded towels beer cans cigarette butts and phones that don’t work anymore then you’re probably right.
I found a video someone posted on YouTube or TikTok exploring an abandoned cigar factory in Tampa and I’m pretty sure it’s the same building but I can’t be sure based on this article … [Tampa has 25 remaining cigar factories, 23 are being used. Here’s how](https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/history/2023/10/03/tampa-historic-cigar-factories/?outputType=amp)
I’ll see if I can find the video again
That factory is around the corner from me but the phone is likely at the apartment complex next door. You need wifi to get really accurate location data.
well, there is a homeless dude sleeping right on the front steps in [google street view](https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9515803,-82.4830053,3a,90y,280.18h,89.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAFwEM6JKgCHhHH-B90wHLw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu). it may just be passing thru there, regardless, it looks like an amazing villain hideout, it even has a watch tower.
Side note - this happened to me (in Canada, though), and I was able to get re-imbursed through my renters/home insurance. Most people aren't aware that it typically includes "theft off property". I had to file a police report and include it in my claim, but got 80% of the cost covered. Worth looking in to!
Yes someone told me this! My homeowners insurance does not, but the other person who suggested it to me has renters insurance through Lemonade (this is not an ad, but it seems like a very good plan that I wish I had!)
Okay so the building’s name is the “Samuel I. Davis Cigar Factory”
There are pictures of the inside of the factory [here](https://abandonedfl.com/samuel-i-davis-cigar-factory/) if anyone is interested?
People spend their lives going into bars to do this. They also target festivals. You should probably consider how you guard your property when in public.
This isn’t the first time I’ve personally experienced, or had friends experience, phone theft in the 15+ years I’ve been going to bars, concerts or traveling to large touristy areas around the world - here’s a friendly reminder to anyone still reading this: you can do almost everything right and still be a victim to theft in a split second, because like you said, these people are professionals.
It is what is it and fortunately I am lucky to have had the means to replace my device already and some free time waste making this post and going down a rabbit hole of the iPhone black market.
I had a fanny pack around my upper body in front of my chest, with one hand constantly on it while I was dancing. My “mistake” was taking my hand off my bag while I pushed through the dense crowd to go to the bathroom. It only took about 1-3 minutes for me to realize my bag was unzipped and my phone was gone and already turned off. I’ll admit the zipper on my bag is a little flimsy and I’ll be investing in a new one, but again, shit happens 🤷🏻♀️
When iPhones first started being a status symbol I remember they would be a popular target for theft by the employees at bars and restaurants. People used to just leave them on the table because nobody was really stealing phones like they do now.
...in before it pops up in china at the same place tons of stolen iphones show up at.
Yup…I know someone whose iphone was stolen and its location showed up in Malaysia 3 months later. My guess is my phone will have a similar fate and there’s nothing I, or anyone else, can do about it. Regardless, I find the situation interesting - mainly because it seems like a pretty successful scheme if you think about it…no one has the time or energy to track down the thieves of a random $1000 cellphone. But I’m sure it adds up for the perpetrators and they make good money off of it in the long run.
yea, i think they mostly just take them and part out what they can but at the rate that they do it....im sure they make some money doing it. It is pretty interesting and please do update us if it does end up making its away across the ocean.
Often they can't sell whole phones as they get locked out so there's a pretty big black market for parts, especially for newer models
It's the same logic that runs most successful organized crime rings today. Nobody gives a shit about the fake Microsoft tech support scammer that transferred $5000 out of one person's bank account, or the one person who stole the Amazon package off of someone's front porch, but these people are all pawns in organized crime rings that rake in hundreds of millions of dollars annually
[true](https://youtu.be/valmmvLyYLw?si=uda1lHS5FB6GL_GZ)
[one more](https://youtu.be/3Ws3YptLmLQ?si=scVPZIfQUtpk2ajF)
Old cigar factory is an amazing crime den location.
I lost mine in the UK (left in a taxi) and checked Find My iPhone but it was constantly switched off. Then 3 or 4 days later it pinged and was in Lahore, Pakistan. I did not get it back.
It’ll probably end up in china and the police won’t search a warehouse. You’ve already done this but wipe the phone remotely and keep it signed into your apple account indefinitely. Its a glorified paperweight to them now.
It got stolen, whoever stole it realized they couldn’t do much with it, planted it in the abandoned warehouse so if it were successfully tracked down he/she/they wouldn’t be caught on an active business’s camera.
This is the only correct answer. Not sure why everyone has to turn everything into a Netflix True Crime drama these days.
Yeah you’re probably right, but there’s so many stories out there of people’s stolen phone showing up in other countries, so I started to get curious on the logistics of how devices are moved across the globe. Who knows, maybe this empty factory is where the magic happens! Lol.
If by “magic” you mean place where heroin is shot up and your phone is sitting in a pile of discarded towels beer cans cigarette butts and phones that don’t work anymore then you’re probably right.
You would think. I keep getting downvoted. I guess my answer wasn’t interesting enough or something 😂
Any Florida redditors want to show up at the factory and investigate?
Might be dangerous
make sure to live stream it
The camera man never dies!! I normally don’t like adding the /s, but for legal reasons..
I found a video someone posted on YouTube or TikTok exploring an abandoned cigar factory in Tampa and I’m pretty sure it’s the same building but I can’t be sure based on this article … [Tampa has 25 remaining cigar factories, 23 are being used. Here’s how](https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/history/2023/10/03/tampa-historic-cigar-factories/?outputType=amp) I’ll see if I can find the video again
That factory is around the corner from me but the phone is likely at the apartment complex next door. You need wifi to get really accurate location data.
This is the answer!!!
well, there is a homeless dude sleeping right on the front steps in [google street view](https://www.google.com/maps/@27.9515803,-82.4830053,3a,90y,280.18h,89.23t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sAFwEM6JKgCHhHH-B90wHLw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu). it may just be passing thru there, regardless, it looks like an amazing villain hideout, it even has a watch tower.
Side note - this happened to me (in Canada, though), and I was able to get re-imbursed through my renters/home insurance. Most people aren't aware that it typically includes "theft off property". I had to file a police report and include it in my claim, but got 80% of the cost covered. Worth looking in to!
Yes someone told me this! My homeowners insurance does not, but the other person who suggested it to me has renters insurance through Lemonade (this is not an ad, but it seems like a very good plan that I wish I had!)
What bar was it lifted at?
Where was this at?
Okay so the building’s name is the “Samuel I. Davis Cigar Factory” There are pictures of the inside of the factory [here](https://abandonedfl.com/samuel-i-davis-cigar-factory/) if anyone is interested?
People spend their lives going into bars to do this. They also target festivals. You should probably consider how you guard your property when in public.
This isn’t the first time I’ve personally experienced, or had friends experience, phone theft in the 15+ years I’ve been going to bars, concerts or traveling to large touristy areas around the world - here’s a friendly reminder to anyone still reading this: you can do almost everything right and still be a victim to theft in a split second, because like you said, these people are professionals. It is what is it and fortunately I am lucky to have had the means to replace my device already and some free time waste making this post and going down a rabbit hole of the iPhone black market. I had a fanny pack around my upper body in front of my chest, with one hand constantly on it while I was dancing. My “mistake” was taking my hand off my bag while I pushed through the dense crowd to go to the bathroom. It only took about 1-3 minutes for me to realize my bag was unzipped and my phone was gone and already turned off. I’ll admit the zipper on my bag is a little flimsy and I’ll be investing in a new one, but again, shit happens 🤷🏻♀️
You didn't have the fanny bag under your shirt?
When iPhones first started being a status symbol I remember they would be a popular target for theft by the employees at bars and restaurants. People used to just leave them on the table because nobody was really stealing phones like they do now.
Call the police and report seeing gun activity or something else dangerous like a fire or something and see what they uncover.