NYC iPhone owner tricks thief using dating app
NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City musician used a combination of technology, seduction, brute force and a bribe to reclaim his missing iPhone from a confused crook.
Jazz trombonist Nadav Nirenberg tells the New York Post that he left his iPhone in a livery cab on New Year's Eve.
The next morning, the 27-year-old learned via email that someone was sending creepy messages to women using a dating app on the phone.
So he logged on to the service and offered the man a date - posing as a woman. He even sent a picture of a pretty girl.
When the culprit arrived at Nirenberg's Brooklyn apartment with wine, the musician jumped out brandishing a hammer.
But he also offered $20.
The thief handed him the iPhone and bolted.
Jazz trombonist Nadav Nirenberg tells the New York Post that he left his iPhone in a livery cab on New Year's Eve.
The next morning, the 27-year-old learned via email that someone was sending creepy messages to women using a dating app on the phone.
So he logged on to the service and offered the man a date - posing as a woman. He even sent a picture of a pretty girl.
When the culprit arrived at Nirenberg's Brooklyn apartment with wine, the musician jumped out brandishing a hammer.
But he also offered $20.
The thief handed him the iPhone and bolted.
My daughter's iPod Touch was stolen earlier this year and some prick in OKC is using it now. That's as much as we know.
"You have two choices. A) You can hand me my phone back and I'll hand you this $20 bill. B) I beat the phone out of you with this hammer."
My son lost his IPhone in a park east of the mountains. A nice man found it and texted me he had it. I texted back our address and my son had his phone two days later. We sent the nice man $20 and a big thank you.
I hope your house doesn't broken into later.
STOP!
Only problem is now the thief knows where he lives and could potentially cause more problems for him
Why offer $20 to get your OWN phone back? He had a hammer. That's all he needed. :)
I'm not sure that finding a iPhone in a cab is the same as stealing one from somebody. I don't consider the creep a thief here...just a creep.
 @Ankle Biter He took something that didn't belong to him, and instead of turning it in, he decided to keep it and use it. Equals thief in my book.
 @doxiemom2008  @Ankle Biter Correction: He FOUND something that didn't belong to him.Â
@doxiemom2008 @Ankle Biter not anklebiter's first display of poor judgment and skewed logic
 @31F  @Ankle Biter Doesn't work on my iPhone...Â
 @31F Hmmm..didn't know that the iPhone was that easy to get into. I hope my Android 4.03 phone isn't that easily broken into.
 @Ankle Biter Logic: Press emergency call; enter ####; press dial button; and then press physical lock button = no more code
 @HawkEye  @doxiemom2008 How about the logic of putting a security code on your iPhone? Something the dumb owner here hadn't thought of. If I'm careless enough to leave my smartphone laying around and someone finds it I'm not going to press charges against the person who found it. Plus that's what I buy that replacement insurance for. If the "thief" mugs me for it or steals it out of my pocket now that's another matter.