UK Police Break Phone Smuggling Gang
Warm-up Questions: (1) What do people usually do on their phones? (2) How can a person keep their phone safe?
British police say they have stopped an international gang that smuggled thousands of stolen phones from the United Kingdom to China. Detectives think the group moved up to 40,000 phones in just one year.
The case began when a robbery victim used a phone app to trace their missing iPhone last December. "It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.
Security staff opened a box and found the phone with another 894 phones. Officers said the shipment was going to Hong Kong. They told border teams and started a bigger investigation.
Police then searched storage units and vans around London. They collected records, bank cards, and more phones. Police now say this group supplied about 40% of the stolen phones in London.
Street thieves were paid up to £300 for each phone, according to the Met Police. Investigators say the phones sell for up to £4,000 in China. The phones can still use the internet, so buyers like them because they can avoid strict censorship rules.
"We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative," Policing Minister Sarah Jones said. She explained that stolen phones can bring in more money than selling drugs.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to shut down stolen phones faster so criminals cannot use them again. He wants the industry to design updates that make taken phones unusable.
*Not printing well with Safari
Audio
Hear the article spoken:
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
Loading listening activity...
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
The case began when a robbery victim used a phone app to (2) __________ their missing iPhone last December. "It was actually on Christmas Eve and a victim electronically tracked their stolen iPhone to a warehouse near Heathrow Airport," Detective Inspector Mark Gavin said.
Security staff opened a box and found the phone with another 894 phones. Officers said the (3) __________ was going to Hong Kong. They told border teams and started a bigger investigation.
Police then searched storage units and vans around London. They collected records, bank cards, and more phones. Police now say this (4) __________ supplied about 40% of the stolen phones in London.
Street thieves were paid up to £300 for each phone, according to the Met Police. Investigators say the phones sell for up to £4,000 in China. The phones can still use the internet, so buyers like them because they can avoid strict (5) __________ rules.
"We're hearing that some criminals are stopping dealing drugs and moving on to the phone business because it's more lucrative," Policing Minister Sarah Jones said. She explained that stolen phones can bring in more money than selling drugs.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to shut down stolen phones faster so criminals cannot use them again. He wants the industry to design updates that make taken phones (6) __________.
Comprehension
Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click Check Answers to see your results.
Comprehension
1. Police believe the gang sent stolen phones to China. TRUE/FALSE
2. The investigation began after officers found a secret note. TRUE/FALSE
3. Street thieves received up to £300 for each stolen phone. TRUE/FALSE
4. Sadiq Khan wants phone makers to ignore the theft problem. TRUE/FALSE
Vocabulary n = noun, v = verb, adj = adjective, adv = adverb, prep = preposition, phr. v = phrasal verb, pl = plural
Drag each vocabulary word to its matching definition:
Loading vocabulary activity...
Vocabulary
Match each vocabulary word with a definition:
1. International (adj)
2. Trace (v)
3. Warehouse (n)
4. Shipment (n)
5. Smuggle (v)
6. Lucrative (adj)
7. Censorship (n)
8. Unusable (adj)
a) Unable to be used.
b) Control of information by a government or other power.
c) Bringing in a lot of money.
d) To move goods secretly, often against the law.
e) A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.
f) A large building where goods are stored.
g) To follow and find the path of something.
h) Involving more than one country.
Discussion
- Did anything in this story surprise you?
- Are many phones stolen in your country?
- Has something been stolen from you? What was it?
- How should phone thieves be punished?
- Would you like to be a police investigator? Why or why not?
- Is there internet censorship in your country? What kinds of things are blocked?
- Are phones too expensive? What is the maximum you would pay for a new phone?
- What steps would you take after realizing your phone is missing?
- What can communities do so young people feel safe and stay out of gangs?
- Which vocabulary word from this article was new or interesting for you, and why?
Answers
Listening:
- international
- trace
- shipment
- group
- censorship
- unusable
Comprehension:
- True. Detectives say the group smuggled phones from the UK to China.
- False. It started when a victim traced their stolen iPhone to a warehouse.
- True. The article states that thieves were paid up to £300 per phone.
- False. He is urging companies to make stolen phones unusable.
Vocabulary:
- International (adj): Involving more than one country.
- Trace (v): To follow and find the path of something.
- Warehouse (n): A large building where goods are stored.
- Shipment (n): A load of goods that is being sent from one place to another.
- Smuggle (v): To move goods secretly, often against the law.
- Lucrative (adj): Bringing in a lot of money.
- Censorship (n): Control of information by a government or other power.
- Unusable (adj): Unable to be used.