A North Carolina woman, Marin Blake, had her cellphone stolen while at a local bar in Charlotte. After she realized she had been the victim of theft, Blake was shocked to find out that her phone had traveled to China. Since then, she claims she has been receiving threatening texts.
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According to WBTV, Blake had her cellphone stolen on March 22, 2025. Reportedly, she was at The Rose Honky Tonk along with some of her friends. The area in the South End, as per the outlet and Charlotte police, has reported an abundance of theft, reporting 40 incidents since December 2024.
While at the bar, and without her knowledge, someone swiped Blake’s phone. Eventually, she noticed her phone was missing.
“It’s very scary to have something taken from you,” Blake told WBTV. “It’s really made me more aware of my surroundings and just be safe because you never know, it’s scary.”
Although it is unclear when exactly, the New York Post reported that Blake used the “Find My” feature that Apple offers its customers to help track their missing, or, in this case, stolen products. To her surprise, Blake found out that, shortly after her phone was snatched, it had traveled to Miami. Later, it traveled more than 8,300 miles to Shenzhen, China.
Threatening Texts
Knowing her phone was gone for good, Marin Blake eventually got a new one. While she moved on, she was again flabbergasted after she started receiving threatening texts. Reportedly, the thieves had used her phone to contact her, asking her to deactivate her stolen phone, as per WBTV. Otherwise, her information, as per the suspects, will be sold on the “black market.”
“I’ve received multiple text messages ever since my phone went from Miami to China saying they’re going to sell my information on the black market if I don’t click certain links which of course I didn’t click,” Blake told the outlet.
Given how a stolen phone ended up with her receiving menacing texts, Blake believes this is part of a bigger criminal operation in the area.
“That doesn’t feel random to me,” Blake added. “That feels like it’s orchestrated. It’s a ring, and really something needs to happen for it to be stopped because it’s becoming a huge issue.”