PORCH PIRATES: 14 people indicted in New York over massive, international theft ring
Thieves hacked into computer systems to track when phones and electronics were scheduled for delivery to AT&T and Verizon customers.
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Thieves hacked into computer systems to track when phones and electronics were scheduled for delivery to AT&T and Verizon customers.
Fourteen men have been arrested in connection with a large-scale “porch pirate” operation in Long Island, New York, in which authorities say the group targeted 31 communities over the course of nearly two years. The ring allegedly focused on areas including Brentwood, Central Islip, Shirley, and Deer Park. Investigators tracked the thefts from October 2023 through February 2025 until the operation was dismantled.
Most of the suspects are reportedly from the Bronx. Authorities say they hacked into computer systems to track when phones and electronics were scheduled for delivery to AT&T and Verizon customers. The group then dispatched runners to steal the packages from doorsteps. More than 200 cellphones and tablets were allegedly stolen during the operation.
"They were gaining access to the tracking numbers as well as the deliveries, and through that they could tell which would be an electronic device from AT&T and Verizon," Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said, according to CBS News.
The stolen items were taken to a fencing location and a stash house, where the suspects reportedly recorded videos of hundreds of boxes and bagged phones before selling them to locations worldwide.
One victim, Glenn Bernhard, described the theft as potentially dangerous. “He grabbed the package out of my hand, and took off. He ran into a car. The plate on the car was stolen," Bernhard recalled. "It's a well organized bunch of people to hack into everybody's computer."
Erica Bernhard added, "The hacker was able to get into my account.”
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