Richmond RCMP stated Friday it had apprehended a man well known to police throughout the Lower Mainland, who allegedly specializes in stealing Apple products.
According to Cpl. Dennis Hwang, last Thursday, shortly after 2 p.m., security staff from Richmond Centre mall flagged down a Richmond RCMP patrol officer after the suspect had allegedly stolen several mobile phones and fled on a bicycle toward Park Road.
Officers subsequently spotted the man near Westminster Highway and Garden City Road where he was arrested in a parkade following a foot chase.
Inspector Konrad Golbeck praised his officers, namely the Property Crime Unit and the Quick Response Team.
He also warned the public that it should take precautions when purchasing mobile phones on popular buy-and-sell websites.
“Check the IMEI number, or digital serial number of the device against the national blacklist database prior to making a purchase,” said Golbeck.
The IMEI number can be obtained by entering *#06# on most devices or located on a white label under the battery, he added.
Phones that are stolen and subsequently flagged in the database will not work on cellular networks.
The database can be found online at ProtectYourData.ca.
Police did not confirm the identity of the male suspect, but noted he was to appear in court on Sept. 4.
Protect Your Data Protect Yourself, is an industry-led program, created by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association. The CWTA says a program such as Protect Your Data is needed given there are roughly 18 million smartphone customers in Canada storing personal information on their devices.
