3 million dollar scam by fake iPhone fraudsters

In the US, two individuals identified as Chinese nationals managed to obtain millions of dollars' worth of genuine iPhones by sending fake iPhones to Apple for repair via mail. The fraudsters, whose scheme was eventually uncovered, have been caught and are now facing up to 20 years in prison.

3 MILLION DOLLAR LOSS

The two individuals, named Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue, sent fake iPhones they had brought in from Hong Kong to Apple's service centers using various fraudulent methods. In exchange for the "defective" phones, they received original Apple iPhones as replacements. During this process, the two men, who altered the serial numbers of the devices and sent different devices using various identities, managed to pull off a major scam by sending a total of approximately 5,000 devices for repair. It is estimated that the duo caused Apple a loss of around 3 million dollars during this process. 

INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED

It was stated that the duo, who wanted to cover their tracks, also used mailing addresses that did not belong to them or used fake addresses. This action is also defined as a crime under US law. Assistant United States Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman and Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey, who led the investigation, requested a 20-year prison sentence for the two individuals after explaining the crimes they committed and the methods they followed. 

Previously, two brothers named Zhimin and Zhiting Lao in San Diego were sentenced to 41 months in prison for a similar fraud. It was revealed that the Lao brothers had sold the original iPhones in other countries. 

News Source: 12punto