How Will The iPhones 5S & 5C Affect Smartphone Theft In Ditmas Park?

Our area (and the city and country in general) has certainly seen a rise in smartphone and other electronics-related crime over the past several years, which tends to spike even more with the release of each new product. Given that Apple recently released its “budget” iPhone 5c and announced the imminent release of the 5s, we should all be battening down the proverbial hatches.

Inspector Eric Rodriguez, Commanding Officer of the 70th Precinct, warns residents at basically every Community Council meeting to set passcodes, download tracking apps, and keep their phones hidden — and Apple, for its part, has tried to address the problem by beefing up the security of the 5s with fingerprint identification. If you’re wondering what goes on at the other end of a theft, though, WNYC’s New Tech City podcast takes a look at the “sophisticated black market that has had six years to cater to the world’s insatiable appetite for second-hand smartphones.”

Coincidentally, shortly before the episode, the podcast’s producer had his phone stolen in one of those “What time is it?” scams we’ve heard so much about. Details on that at the beginning of the podcast.

Photo via Apple