AppleCare is a program created by Apple to extend the warranty of various devices, such as iPads, iPhones, iPod Touches and even MacBooks, for example. How it works is very simple: just take the product to the store where it was purchased and the employees evaluate the serial number and other data so that, in some cases, the customer receives a completely new model.
Unfortunately, two Hong Kong citizens, mother and son, used this Apple program to carry out several scams in Switzerland that totaled a loss of US$ 1 million. The duo cloned the IMEI of real iPhones on counterfeit devices so that, when they arrived at the store claiming problems, the data matched the database and they got a new iPhone.
To make the fraud more credible, the counterfeit model contained a schematic that implied that the damage happened with water. In this way, the Apple store does not open the device to avoid damage to employees, something that generated a smaller check and, consequently, facilitated the exchange.
Within the program, the cost of each exchange is US$ 574 (R$ 3.059). According to information shared by the SRF TV network, the son managed to apply the scam to more than 1.000 models, while his mother surpassed 100.
The local press revealed that the son, 34 years old and resident in Switzerland, applied this millionaire fraud between 2015 and 2019, while the mother only participated in 2016.
The Public Ministry asked for four years in prison for the son, in addition to expulsion from the country for 7 years. As for the mother, the requested prison time was 18 months, with two years of probation.
