Chinese iPhone thief returns SIM, contact list to rightful owner

A Chinese iPhone thief has gone to extraordinary lengths to atone for his crime, copying out all 1,000 address book contacts onto paper and sending them to the phone’s owner. In an act of kindness rarely observed by the criminal fraternity, the pickpocket wrote out 11 pages of telephone numbers in total, according to a Xinhua …

[Anonymous Coward]

If the former owner was in organized crime:

1) Not wise to have those contacts in the phone and then not remotely wipe it.

2) Don't have the money to buy a new one.

3) Don't have the resources or connections to get a new one; like from a worker at the factory.

4) Sharing a cab?

Seems he must have been in unorganized crime.

[Evil Auditor]

Don't forget, most criminals aren't very intelligent.

[Anonymous Coward]

He may have trouble writing in the future

If he gets caught.

[Anonymous Coward]

Evidently crime doesn't pay all that well.

[JeevesMkII]

He doesn't sound like a very smart criminal

After all, what would he have done if the thief decided to send a letter to the police with the man's address and information about "what business he is in"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Then he realizes that he has to type them all in!

Any way, backup your phone once a month, at the very least.

P.S. the thief trusted a threatening SMS sent to the owners own phone; amazing!

[Soruk]

iCloud

> It seems the wonders of iCloud have yet to filter through to the fanbois of central China.

It seems more likely the wonders of iCloud have been filtered (by the Great Firewall) from the fanbois of central China.

[Evil Auditor]

"periodically back up any important data stored on the device"

No. Simply don't store any important data on a mobile device.

I know, it's not that simple, but as a principle I only put (important) data on my mobile that already is stored in safe place somewhere else.

[Marvin the Martian]

Re: "periodically back up any important data stored on the device"

Eh, given that you can reset about every single password to websites by clicking an email link, the browser suffices to give all your precious data (and money) away. And there's not that much point to having a smartphone if the browser isn't configured -- so only doable if you have a dumbphone (and then the data -- texts, call history and phone book) isn't remotely wipeable.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fanboi! unsurprised at the level of stupidity.