There are many stories of scams and counterfeit Apple devices. And it is normal that products of such high value are the Targeting thieves, hackers and scammersOne of the most bizarre counterfeits was the fake Apple Store in China. They also directly defrauded Apple with fake repairs for ten years. Stories that seem like a movie but they do happen in reality. Today we add a new story with Apple devices as protagonists. We are located in Alabama, United States.
It all started with a routine traffic check
It has happened to almost all of us at some point. We are tested for alcohol on the road, our vehicle documents are checked and we are free to continue on our journey. This is how Chalvin Tan’s story began, a man from Alabama who was stopped on the road while driving his car. What happened to him Police did not expect to find dozens of Apple devices inside. They alerted the authorities. So much so that they handed it over to the Department of Homeland Security.
After beginning the investigation, a network of counterfeit Apple devices was uncovered using a well-known technique that we have already seen applied on other occasions. “Buy and return”In this way, this man bought Apple devices and then returned them by placing counterfeit replicas inside the boxes that were difficult to distinguish from the real ones.
He used laser engraving to achieve perfect imitations.
The imitations had to be good enough to be sold in retail stores. They didn’t realize until it was too lateThat is, when the customer bought the device again and realized that it was a counterfeit. In fact, many returns made by Apple end up in the company’s own recycling plants. So they wouldn’t even realize if they were disassembling an original iPhone or not.
Chalvin Tan had various molds and machines who were dedicated to laser engraving the Apple logo and the typical letters on the back of the devices. The famous “Designed by Apple in California”In hand, the device looked so real that it managed to scam up to 180 units.
Thus, I got my money back from the original purchase and could then sell the real devices on second-hand apps. He would sell them by hand at different locations in California and on other occasions he would ship them to Hong Kong.
Being wary of overly cheap products is key to avoiding scams
The Chalvin Tan case is a prime example of the clever techniques that scammers use to deceive both businesses and customers. It can happen in a variety of areas, even with repairs and fake screens. In the case of screens, here’s how you can tell if an iPhone screen is fake. And for new devices, it’s best to buy them in official centers such as Apple Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt or Apple distributors such as Rosellimac, K-tuin, Macnificos, Intecat, iShop, MacStore… This way you can guarantee that the product arrives directly from Apple and in perfect condition without any manipulation by third parties.
Source | DHS