Brothers swap fake iPhones for real ones – scamming Apple out of RM28.75mil, US feds say


The counterfeit Apple products imported into the US from China by the Liao brothers had ‘identification numbers that matched identification numbers on real iPhones and iPads that were under warranty and had been previously sold to customers in the United States and Canada’, prosecutors said. — AFP

Three brothers from San Diego caused Apple to lose US$6.1mil (RM28.75mil) with a widespread scheme in which more than 10,000 fake iPhones and iPads were swapped out for the real devices at hundreds of stores, according to US federal prosecutors.

Zhimin, Zhiting and Zhiwei Liao led the scam involving a slew of other co-conspirators from 2011 through 2019, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

The Star Christmas Special Promo: Save 35% OFF Yearly. T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 8.02/month

Billed as RM 96.20 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Tech News

Exclusive-Google works to erode Nvidia's software advantage with Meta's help
Brazil to get satellite internet from Chinese rival to Starlink in 2026
US gaming platform Roblox pledges changes to get Russian ban lifted
Oracle's $10 billion Michigan data center in limbo after Blue Owl funding talks stall, FT reports
Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training
Factbox-By the numbers: How the Netflix and Paramount bids for Warner Bros stack up
Warner Bros Discovery board rejects rival bid from Paramount
Analysis-Qatar bets on cheap power to catch up in Gulf AI race
Analysis-Crypto investors show caution, shift to new strategies after crash
OpenAI’s ChatGPT updated to�make images better and faster

Others Also Read