NEW ORLEANS — Right after Mardi Gras we told you about two family members who each had their cell phones stolen on Bourbon Street, while visiting.
Cell phone stores told them they had to special order replacements, because so many people were in the same situation.
Well now, we're hearing from yet another victim who thought he could just move on with a new phone, but then something alarming started happening since our first report.
Mike, and eight of his long-time friends, decided to they would experience their first Mardi Gras.
When asked, “You'd never seen anything or any crowds like it had you?” He replied, “Yeah, no. I haven't seen anything like that before. It was eye opening seeing how many people can like fit on one street.”
Like countless others, his cell phone was stolen right out of his front pants pocket while on Bourbon Street. He had no idea.
“I might have felt like bodies hitting me, and touching me, but with how many people are on the streets, and in the bars, that's kind of normal,” he said.
Credit cards, and IDs were in the phone case. He cancelled them, and locked his phone.
Fast forward three weeks. We've decided not to give his full name, or hometown because of what started happening a few days ago. His new phone alerted him that the stolen phone was back on line 8,500 miles away in Hong Kong, China. Text messages disguised as official from Apple stated someone was trying to use his Apple Pay. So, he had to unlock the phone.
“So, I knew that was a scam. I called Apple to ensure that it was, and they said that, yes do not do that, because that would give them access to the phone.”
So, the messages escalated, pretending to be an innocent Chinese man who bought his stolen phone for his daughter on the second hand device market, and needed it unlocked. But when he didn't unlock the phone here’s what happened.
“He threatened to kill himself and so I just didn't respond to anything,” said Mike.
And then just moments before our interview, came another message. It was a long text, threatening violence, written in poor grammar, filled with expletives, threatening to beat, rape, and kill him, and his family.
“It is kind of unsettling, and scary to get that text message,” Mike said.
New Orleans Police tell us Mike needs to save the texts, and call his local police department.
Meg: “Will you come back to Mardi Gras, or back to New Orleans, or has this kind of dampened your image of our city?”
Mike: “That I would go back at a different time of year, but I think all the trouble, and hassle would steer me away from going back to Mardi Gras again.”
We are still waiting to hear back from the FBI cyber division in New Orleans about any advice they have in cases like this.
I the meantime, you can report cybercrimes to federal agents at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
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