An AT&T crew installs a new cable at a railroad crossing in Hayward, Calif., after the segment got cut down by suspected copper wire thieves.
John Ruwitch/NPR
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John Ruwitch/NPR
The value of copper is rising, and thieves can make money by stripping it from phone poles, streetlights and EV chargers. But those thefts cost the rest of us.
An AT&T crew installs a new cable at a railroad crossing in Hayward, Calif., after the segment got cut down by suspected copper wire thieves.
John Ruwitch/NPR
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John Ruwitch/NPR

As scrap metal prices have soared, copper theft has too. EV chargers are the new frontier for an old crime.

The thefts have taken a ‘toll on working conditions’ amid high temperatures, according to police officials

Bell says it's seen a surge in copper wire thefts across its telecommunications infrastructure in 2026, which can disrupt phone…

Mit dem Verkauf von Kupfer lässt sich viel Geld verdienen. Das lockt regelmäßig Kriminelle auf den Plan. Die haben es etwa auf…

"We pay taxes to stop crime....Democrats use our tax dollars to support crime. That is the problem."

Stolen copper cabling shut Wellington’s Hutt Valley line six times in April alone.