A mother and her son were found guilty of a major iPhone scam exploiting the AppleCare+ warranty system, Securing Industry reported. The Chinese citizens committed the crimes in Switzerland, where they were sentenced.
Apple claims it lost more than CHF 1m ($1.1m) as a result of the scam, which mirrors a notorious case in the US last year, which also resulted in a three-year jail term for the main perpetrator. The court heard that the main defendant earned just CHF 10,000 from the fraud, and was a small but important part of a network which prosecutors believe is based in Hong Kong. The mother and son sent the genuine handsets they received from Apple to Hong Kong, getting just CHF 10 as commission on each device. They claimed they were unaware that the iPhones they exchanged were fake.
Check It Out: Mother And Son Found Guilty of iPhone Warranty Scam
Charlotte:
I don’t know about this case, but I do know of other instances of immigrants particularly from throughout Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central America to high income Western settings who have been caught up, many with little option to refuse, in money laundering, racketeering and other types of illegal activities, often organised by powerful gangs in their home countries (in this case, it would be HK) which make all the money, while these families have maximum exposure and receive next to nothing in comparison. The mother and son nature of this duo, whose take from this scheme was laughable compared to Apple’s losses, fits that pattern.
These immigrants are highly vulnerable, often do not speak the local language(s) fluently, do not know the local laws, are suspicious and fearful of authorities, and may have family members back home being used as leverage to ensure their compliance.
Again, I don’t know this particular case, but forced and even conned criminal activity amongst migrants is a problem. One should hope that this conviction was the result of evidence in the face of competent legal representation. Too often, it is not.
“They claimed they were unaware that the iPhones they exchanged were fake”
I don’t know those drugs got into my pocket.
“Really we didn’t know the Aplle iPones we got were fakes.”