If you plan to order something expensive or valuable through the mail, there is always a possibility that it will not make it to your door.
The box and packaging might—but the phone, computer or other high-tech gadget you’ve just purchased for yourself might be something you never actually see.
Cell phones are frequently shipped to customers homes, as many retail storefronts for major phone service carriers are stocked in limited quantities, leading customers to opt for their phones to be shipped from a warehouse.
However, this may leave the phone vulnerable to theft, as some shoppers wanting the newest iPhone may find.
One such customer of Verizon says she ordered the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which was released in September, only to receive an empty iPhone 14 box in its place.
An iPhone 16 Pro Max delivery gone wrong
In a video that has drawn over 64,000 views on TikTok, user Ana (@ana_almeida15_ on TikTok) says her phone delivery was stolen and the box re-taped shut.
“A few days ago I bought a iPhone 16 Pro Max off my Verizon because I just wanted to get an upgrade,” she says in the video. “I’m going to try to be serious doing this video because I’m so mad.”
Ana then shows off the delivery she received. “So the package came like this. Nothing wrong with it, you wouldn’t think anything happened to it,” she says. “But then you see, up close, that the original tape was messed with, so there’s packing tape over the original tape. I already get suspicious because that’s not a good sign. I open the box. That’s the receipt, how much I paid for and everything, there’s packing paper and then we have the infamous phone.”
She pulls the phone box from the larger shipping box and shows that it is for a previous generation of iPhone, and that the white plastic seal on the upper seam of the box remains intact, leaving someone able to open the box as if it were hinged.
While she does not know who stole the phone, she says she knows about what time her phone was stolen, as she received a verification code from Verizon earlier that morning.
@ana_almeida15_ to whoever did this, count your days 🙂 i hope they find out exactly who stole it. #ups #stolenphone #verizon #fyp #iphone16 ♬ original sound – ana carolina
“I got a verification code this morning at 8:39 a.m. from Verizon and I thought that it was my mother since we’re on the same line,” she says. “I thought she was just trying to log in to see where it was at, something like that. I didn’t really think anything of it.”
Ana didn’t realize anything was wrong until she received the package.
“I wasn’t home, my stepdad was home, but the package got delivered at 11 a.m,” she says. “My stepdad signed [for] it, he didn’t know what it was so he didn’t make a big deal out of it. When I got home, it was still sitting there, I didn’t mess with it because it was not on my name, it was under my mom’s name. We opened it when she got home, and we saw this. I’m just really disappointed. Whoever did this, count your days”
The phone has been reported as stolen, she says, meaning the thief will be unable to take the phone to another carrier for service, essentially making it a valueless brick unless they want to be caught.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Ana via TikTok comment, as well as to Verizon via email regarding the video.
What is Verizon’s policy for phones stolen in transit?
Verizon recommends two courses of action for stolen phones and other devices depending on how they went missing.
For phones that were already in use but stolen, the phone carrier recommends filing a claim with Asurion, a technology insurance company that Verizon partners with to offer several forms of insurance, as well as suspending service to the phone line to prevent unauthorized charges.
For phones stolen in transit, or otherwise lost in the delivery process, Verizon recommends filing a lost-in-transit claim if 48 hours have passed since the delivery time and the phone has not materialized. Part of the process of filing this claim allows customers to request a replacement device.
From there, the phone company will work with the service used to deliver the phone to investigate what happened.
Are phone thefts in transit on the rise?
With the demand for new iPhones so high, thefts of mobile devices in transit have increased so much that federal investigators are looking into the matter. Thieves are apparently using FedEx tracking numbers to identify and steal valuable mobile phones, according to a report from PC Mag.
Authorities say the thieves are meeting delivery drivers at the homes they are intended to be delivered to in order to snatch the tech.
Viewers weigh in
Having your phone stolen in this manner is unfortunately common, as several viewers noted in the video’s comment section.
“The exact same thing happened to me,” one commenter wrote. “Had to file a police report. Nothing has happened at all.”
“i had this same exact thing happen to me when i ordered my iphone 15 pro max!” another said. “After filing a police report and going back & forth with my phone company it took 2 months to get refunded.”
“I literally had the exact thing happen with me when I ordered from my Verizon they said it was fed ex because of how they handle security when they scan the phones out I was LIVID,” a third added.
Because of this experience, and watching others suffer through it, several viewers shared they have started opting to have their iPhones delivered for pickup in-store.
“Always ship to store even if you have to wait,” one commented. “I always do pick up cause even the delivery drivers can’t always be trusted unfortunately.”
“This is why I go in store, I’ve heard so many stories, especially when people send their old phone back and those get stolen too,” another commenter wrote.
“I was scared of that happening to me so I canceled delivery and ordered for pick up,” a further user said.
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