TechtechnologyiPhoneiphone-thief

iPhone Thief Sends Victim Handwritten Note With All 1,000 Of His Contacts

If There's Such A Thing As A Nice iPhone Thief, This Is It
By 

Associate Editor, Huffington Post Weird News

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Getting your phone stolen is the worst, and one of the biggest inconveniences about the whole affair (if you don't back up your data) is losing all your contacts.

Earlier this month, Chinese barman Zou Bin reportedly had his iPhone stolen when he shared a taxi with a pickpocket, according to a Xinhua news agency report picked up by the Agence France-Presse.

Desperate to recover the nearly 1,000 contacts in his phone, he used a friend's device to send texts to the stolen handset, asking that the thief promptly return it.

“I know you are the man who sat beside me. I can assure you that I will find you," Zou wrote, per the AFP. "Look through the contact numbers in my mobile and you will know what trade I am in. ... Send me back the phone to the address below if you are sensible."

Though Zou's texts went unanswered, not all was lost.

Days later, Zou received a package containing his SIM card and 11 handwritten pages filled with his long list of contact numbers. According to the Telegraph, Zou told Hunan province’s Xiaoxiao Morning Herald he had been “bluffing” when he sent the threatening text messages and did not expect to have his iPhone 4 returned. He reportedly was "stupefied" to get his contacts back.

"It would take a while to write from one to one thousand, let alone names and a whole string of digits. I suppose (the thief's) hand is swelling,” Zou said, per the AFP.

In the United States, iPhone thefts are one of the fastest-growing street crimes. Last year, more than 1.6 million Americans were victims of smartphone theft, which now makes up 40 percent of all robberies in major American cities.

(Hat tip, The Independent)

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Before You Go

What To Do If You've Lost Your Phone
Contact Your Phone(01 of06)
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PCMag recommends using another phone to text your lost phone with a message offering a reward for the device, and you can always try calling it as well. If you don't have a phone handy, you can use a service like Skype, Google Voice or fonefindr.com to ping your phone. It can't hurt -- someone may have found your phone or maybe you'll find hear it ringing between the couch cushions. (credit:Flickr:me and the sysop)
Call Your Carrier(02 of06)
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After you've called or texted your phone, retraced your steps, and shed a few tears in frustration over losing your precious device, you'll want to call your cellphone carrier immediately and tell them your phone has been lost or stolen. Ask them to suspend service (i.e. disable messaging and calls) on the device, because thieves could rack up thousands of dollars in international calls or app purchases. AT&T will even let you do this from your account on the Web. (credit:Flickr:~*Gillian*~)
Password Protect Your Phone(03 of06)
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With all the messages, years of email, contacts, social networking accounts and other personal data stored on today's smartphones, we can't recommend password protecting your phone enough. Yes, it's a momentary frustration that requires you tap a few numbers every time you check your phone, but the extra security and peace of mind is worth the effort. While a thief could still wipe a password-protected device and there's always the possibility you just lost the phone for good, the alternative (going password-free) leaves not only your cellphone account but your bank, social networking, and e-mail accounts completely open. If your phone was stolen and you haven't locked it down, immediately change the passwords to your online accounts and alert any banks or services that you enabled on the phone. (credit:Flickr:laihiu)
Use Remote Protection Apps(04 of06)
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Many remote security apps are now available for modern smartphones, and they offer everything from near real-time location tracking (often showing your phone's location on a map via a Web interface) and the ability to remote wipe your phone in case of theft to remote photo and data backup. There are many free options, and they take just a few minutes to install and set up.Your corporate BlackBerry can probably be wiped and tracked by your company's IT admins, and consumers can grab the free BlackBerry Protect from BlackBerry App World for remote tracking and wiping. iPhone users should download the free 'Find My iPhone' app Android users can grab the free Prey app. Similarly, other third party solutions like Mobile Defense, Lookout can help secure your device. (credit:Flickr:Djenan)
Save Your Phone's Unique ID(05 of06)
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Take a note of your phone's ESN, IMEI or MEID number (often found behind the battery or on the back of the iPhone near the FCC ID). This number will come in handy when reporting a lost or stolen phone to the police or to your cellphone provider. (credit:Flickr:_sarchi)
Schedule Regular Backups(06 of06)
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It sounds obvious, but regularly back up your device to your computer to ensure that you don't lose essentials documents, purchases, apps and photos that are stored only on your phone. Even if you're forced to wipe your cellphone or if it's lost for good, you can often restore a factory fresh replacement to the last backup you've got, complete with apps, settings and documents. Depending on how much you use your phone, we recommend backing up between once a month and once a week. (credit:Getty)
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