Urgent warning to AT&T customers after porch pirates use data to track and steal package deliveries

An urgent warning has been issued to AT&T customers after porch pirates were found using cellular data to track and steal package deliveries, particularly iPhones.

Reports have suggested that a rouge employee from within AT&T or FedEx may be collecting tracking numbers and selling them to thieves, similar to how people’s information is sold on the dark web.

Other possibilities included remote data theft, but companies would have issued an official announcement about a possible hack.

An AT&T spokesperson told DailyMail.com that it has ‘no evidence of any breach of our systems, and this was not a hack.’

Law enforcement agencies are also investigating the uptick in thefts that are occurring within minutes or seconds of delivery across the US. 

The thefts have occurred in at least nine states including New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Florida.

Doorbell footage has captured FedEx delivery drivers dropping off a package containing an AT&T iPhone moments before a person walks up and steals it from the porch.

AT&T customers have been advised to arrange packaging pick-ups or require signatures for all deliveries. 

‘From time to time, we must contend with sophisticated criminals trying to steal high-value items, and we understand how frustrating and stressful that can be for our customers,’ an AT&T spokesman told the Wall Street Journal. 

‘When these unfortunate events occur, we work as quickly as possible with the customer to make it right.’ 

While CNET shared speculations about how porch pirates are tracking down packages, AT&T and law enforcement have not shared exact details. 

Detective Lt. Matt Arsenault from the Gardner Police Department in Massachusetts, who is investigating several incidents in the state, told WSJ that ‘they know what’s getting delivered and the location.

‘They meet the delivery driver at the front door and take it.’

The porch pirates are also taking advantage of the fact that AT&T is one of the few phone companies that doesn’t require signatures upon delivery, providing thieves with a window to steal the iPhone.

However, an AT&T spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the company does require signatures in areas with a higher number of reported thefts.

‘We regularly make changes to our processes, whether it is type of delivery or even type of packaging, to reduce instances of these thefts,’ they said.

The spokesperson said the thefts are not unique to AT&T, noting that ‘parcel theft is a concern across many businesses.’

Thieves are particular searching out tracking numbers for new iPhones being delivered to people’s homes  

Reports of porch pirates stealing AT&T iPhone packages have recently skyrocketed as they become increasingly desperate to get hold of the device. 

Earlier this month, a woman in Columbus, Ohio captured a video of a thief assaulting a FedEx delivery person on her ring doorbell that showed the driver being attacked as he tried to place the package on the front porch.

In August, a Georgia resident also reported that all five AT&T iPhones she ordered were stolen within minutes of delivery.

Despite the wave of thefts, the AT&T spokesperson said the company takes steps to ‘work with law enforcement agencies and parcel carriers to protect our deliveries from these sophisticated criminals.’

FedEx advises its customers to take steps to prevent criminals from stealing your packages such as tracking your package using the map view so you can see where it is on the delivery route.

A FedEx spokesperson told WSJ that it sends regular alerts to its drivers to ‘[remain] vigilant when delivering a package and immediately reporting any unusual activity.’

The customer can also arrange for in-store pickup to ensure the device isn’t stolen, although the AT&T spokesperson noted that the company ships tens of thousands of packages every day without any reported issues.

‘Parcel theft is not a problem that is unique to us,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘Like other types of crime, the occurrence of this is often cyclical and based on the steps that shippers, customers and the parcel carriers take to combat it.’