image: Meta / Kotaku / Gleb Kosalenko (Getty Images)
A group of men who allegedly stole a bunch of Oculus VR headsets would wait for truck drivers to get out of the truck to get food or use the bathroom, then jump in and drive them away.
According to recent reports 404 media and court watchsix men have been indicted for allegedly stealing semi-trucks loaded with expensive items including underwear, all-terrain vehicles and high-end tech hardware. According to court documentsThe men reportedly committed the crimes across the United States, including in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Indiana.
Thieves monitor distribution facilities and then track semi-trucks to gas stations or truck stops. Once the driver leaves to get gas, take a break or use the restroom, the men steal the entire semi-truck and drive away with cargo, trailer and all. The men then allegedly connected the stolen trailer to their own tractor-trailer and left the stolen trailer behind.
On May 6, 2022, two of the six co-conspirators discovered a truck filled with Meta Oculus virtual reality headsets worth approximately $1.5 million in Louisville, Kentucky. Two men allegedly stole the valuable truck from an Indiana truck stop and drove it to Vanderburgh County, where they ditched the tractor-trailer and took off with the trailer.
According to the indictment, these individuals often “paint any markings and/or identification numbers on stolen trailers and use different license plates in order to conceal the trailer’s identity and evade law enforcement detection.” The group isn’t just targeting Meta. They allegedly stole trucks containing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of products from companies including Microsoft, Sony, Logitech, JBL and Bose.
The gang took most of the stolen goods and sold them to a buyer in Florida for “a fraction of the retail value of the stolen goods,” according to the indictment.
.
