If you are going to rob a place, especially a kiosk in an open mall, either disable the security cameras or wear a disguise – or prepare to be busted! That is exactly what happened in a Bell kiosk at Victoria Station Mall in Regina, Saskatchewan when a man in the early morning hour of about 6:30am on Wednesday stole $20,000 worth of brand new smartphones. The suspect is clearly visible on the security footage and it should be just a short time before he is apprehended. It was indicated by a worker that one of the devices stolen was not yet available for sale…perhaps the new LG G4 slated for a Friday debut, but probably already in stock.
The mall was opened at that hour for the convenience of the ‘mall walkers’ when the suspect, wearing a hoodie that was not even up on his head, slipped behind the unattended kiosk and helped himself to the 20 smartphones by allegedly prying open the storage cupboards. Kristen Anderson, who works at the place said, “I don’t see it happening when the mall is open, like when there’s customers in the stores and stuff like that. Obviously he cased it out and hit us at a good time.”
Hopefully, Bell was able to disable the devices before they were sold, however, if the theft got rid of them fast enough, then it is very possible they were not locked at that time – so customers beware as they will end up buying the hot smartphone and then find out they cannot activate the device. The seller could be long gone and you are stuck ‘holding the bag/cellphone’ and out the money. Another good lesson in buying a device from a reputable dealer…you may pay more, but at least you are buying a legitimate device.
The kiosk was closed yesterday as police investigated the scene, and repairs were also being made to the existing displays. They will also install a more secure safe for storing the valuable devices in the future, although one would think that in the middle of a mall with cameras everywhere your product would be safe. This goes to show that security devices and cameras do not stop the criminal who never finished high school.