'Follow-Away' Thieves Target Apple Store Customers

More than 100 Apple Store customers around LA have had their newly purchased Macs swiped by burglars who followed them out of the store. Police have nabbed some suspects—three were charged in Orange County last month in relation to 28 cases—but believe there’s a larger ring behind the thefts and have urged Apple fans to be cautious.

The thieves follow prospective victims as they drive away, then wait to see if they leave the new computer in their vehicle. If they do, the thieves strike. “It’s a highly preventable crime if people don’t leave computers in their cars,” one police sergeant tells the LA Times. None of the computers have been recovered; police say they’re probably immediately fenced or shipped out of the country. (More Apple Store stories.)