This article was published on January 4, 2013

This guy got his stolen iPhone back with OkCupid and a hammer


This guy got his stolen iPhone back with OkCupid and a hammer

27-year-old Nadav Nirenberg from Brooklyn had his iPhone 4 stolen recently, but he got it back thanks to some quick thinking. All that he needed was a fake OkCupid profile showing off a busty 24-year-old, and a hammer.

The thief was apparently using Nirenberg’s stolen iPhone to look for a date on the dating service, after stealing it on New Year’s Eve during a cab ride. Nirenberg was alerted on New Year’s day about the activity via an OKCupid email alert telling him someone had been using the phone to send messages to girls.

β€œI could log on and see everything he was sending,” Nirenberg told NY Post. β€œHe was even using my photo.”

Nirenberg and a friend put a plan in motion to get the phone back. They grabbed a photo from Google Images depicting a woman smiling into a Web cam β€œwith a bit of exposed cleavage,” captioned it β€œJennifer in BK,” and set up a fake profile for a Miss Gonzalez.

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Gonzalez then sent a message to the crook, who eagerly replied and the two set up a date for 7:00 PM later that day. Nirenberg gave the address for his apartment, and β€œused lots of winks and smiley faces so I would seem like a girl.”

The whole thing almost fell apart when the robber asked for the woman’s phone number. Thankfully Nirenberg’s lame reply β€œHa ha, who talks on the phone anymore?” worked just fine.

When the thief showed up clean-shaven, smelling of cologne, and holding a bottle of wine, Nirenberg tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He threatened him with a hammer and demanded the iPhone 4 back.

Nirenberg said he won’t be pressing charges because he just wanted his phone back. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how it’s done.

See also – Police helicopter hunts down a 16-year old iPhone thief in Australia and This mom gave her son an 18-point contract with his iPhone. Would you be tempted?

Image credit: Ivan Freaner

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