iPhone thief writes out 1,000 contacts and sends them to owner/victim

This iPhone thief hand wrote and mailed a thousand contact names back to his victim

By Andy Boxall November 25, 2013

undercover reporters show easy thieves sell stolen phones phone thief — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The words “Thief” and “Conscience” are rarely said in the same sentence, certainly nowhere near as often as “Thief,” and “Scum.” However, a report detailing the theft of an iPhone shows there’s at least one thieving slime ball out there who wants to make amends for his crime. Or, at the very least, he’s doing his best to avoid a beating.

The story comes from China, where two men where sharing a taxi, and one found the other had lifted his iPhone during the journey. The man, named in this report as Zou Bin, was apparently annoyed at losing the 1,000 contacts he had stored on the phone, and from another phone sent a text message to his stolen device.

It read (and this is best said as Liam Neeson): “I know you are the man who sat beside me. I can assure you that I will find you.” He then directed the thief to browse the contacts on his phone, which would reveal the type of business he was in. The message concluded, “Send me back the phone to the address below if you are sensible.” Although it’s not backed up by fact, Zou Bin is believed to have been alluding to connections with local gangs.

The thief, frightened that he picked the wrong phone to steal, took an unusual course of action to diffuse the situation. He wrote out all 1,000 contacts from the phone, which spread over 11 pages, and sent it and the SIM card back to Zou Bin. He wasn’t prepared to go all the way and return the phone though, which he kept for himself.

Quoted on the BBC’s website, Zou Bin was apparently astonished by the thief’s action, but he doesn’t say whether this would be enough for him to hold off searching for the guy.

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