Apple has a scary message for looters who have looted their stores during the recent protest: We are watching you.
Thieves who ran away with iPhones from Apple retail locations that were searched in recent days quickly learned that the gadget was loaded with special security software, when they displayed a message on their screen indicating that their location was being monitored.
“Please return to Apple Walnut Street,” read the message on the iPhone screen that was stolen from an Apple store in Philadelphia, according to social media posts. “This device has been deactivated and is being tracked. Local authorities will be notified. “
Apple – which has recently been preparing to reopen more than 100 stores across the United States after a long shutdown due to a coronavirus pandemic – saw locations attacked and looted in cities including New York, Los Angeles and Washington.
The looting began with a week of civil unrest and protests following the assassination of police George Floyd, an event that Apple chief Tim Cook called “absurd” in a memo to employees over the weekend.
“I have heard from many of you that you feel fear – fear in your community, fear in your daily life, and, most cruel of all, fear of your own skin,” Cook said in the note, published by many news outlets.
“To our colleagues in the Black community – we see you,” he added. “You are important, your life is important, and you are valued here at Apple.”
The company did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
