A group of fraudsters defrauded Apple of around 11 million euros. The individuals deliberately exchanged genuine devices for copies.
Five individuals were arrested in California for stealing over 12 million dollars (approximately 11 million euros) from Apple by exchanging counterfeit iPhones for genuine ones. For almost 10 years, the fraudsters exchanged around 16,000 models.
They are now in court facing long prison sentences in multiple cases. This is reported by colleagues from Dexerto.
Fraudsters imitated genuine devices and deceived legitimate owners and Apple
What exactly did the fraudsters do? The group executed the plan from December 2014 to March 2024 and collaborated with groups in China that supplied the counterfeit devices. The counterfeit phones used stolen identification numbers to create the appearance of being legitimate Apple products sold in the USA and covered by the AppleCare warranty.
Particularly malicious: The counterfeit devices actually contained real identification and serial numbers that imitated the numbers of genuine owners in the USA. This not only defrauded Apple but also deprived legitimate owners of their warranty. Most were unaware that someone was trying to claim the warranty using their number.
What happens next? Meanwhile, the five individuals are in a California court facing multiple charges:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
- Aggravated identity theft.
- Seven counts of wire fraud.
- Twelve counts of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.
If convicted, they face lengthy prison sentences. It is not yet known when the sentencing will take place.
Revenge on his former company: A former cloud engineer employed by a bank was sentenced to two years in prison after an intelligence investigation for “intrusion into a network and false statements to a government agency”: A fired employee caused damage of around 200,000 euros because his employer did not immediately take away his company laptop
