Feiyang Times is a baseless tower in Shenzen’s Huaqiangbei district, but it has earned the surname “The Stoleen iPhone Building” in Apple Community Forums. according to a financial Times Paywalled, the building has become a major center in the theft iPhones in a global network smuggling.
When London Tech Entrepreneur Sam Amrani snatched his iPhone 15 Pro on an electric bicycle by two people, he tracked his journey through a repair shop in London, then for Hong Kong, before it finally settled in Hukiangbei. “It was very early, very organized and targeted,” said Amrani Foot,
Law enforcement in London estimates that phone theft represents £ 50 million ($ 63.5 million) annual criminal industry, with a similar increase in Paris and New York.
The fourth floor of the Feiyang Building specializes in selling the second -hand iPhones from western countries. There are many legitimate trade-in, but traders believe that even a distant equipment has their “market values”.
According to the report, Hong Kong acts as an important intermediary in this supply chain. In particular, hundreds of wholesale vendors openly advertised the “iCloud Locked” -labeled phone through various messaging platforms.
, [passcode-locked] Probably the US was stolen or stripped, they are sold to Hong Kong and then in other countries including the Middle East, “a Shenzhen-based seller visited Hong Kong.
What is Huaqiangbei valuable for thieves is its special market that can find buyers for every iPhone component – from screen and circuit boards to chips. Even when devices cannot be unlocked, they are beneficial when snatching parts.
Many stolen victims receive messages from individuals in Shenzen (when put into a lost mode, a contact number can be added to anyone finding the iPhone) either threatening to either kejoling or remove their equipment to find their equipment, which will greatly increase the resolve value of the device.
According to the report, the criminal network thrives with without import taxes as a free trade port on Hong Kong status, allowing traders to move China’s equipment to mainland China while avoiding electronics tariffs.
Hong Kong police said that Foot This will “take appropriate action where according to real circumstances and according to the law.”
