Scammers Sentenced for $2.5M Fake iPhone Scheme Against Apple

Two Chinese nationals in Maryland orchestrated a complex scam to exchange 6,000 counterfeit iPhones for genuine models over two years.

Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue received prison sentences of 57 and 54 months, respectively, for their roles in the fraud.
The scheme involved using spoofed serial and IMEI numbers to pass counterfeit phones as legitimate warranty claims.
The operation ran from 2017 to 2019, resulting in Apple unknowingly replacing fake devices with real ones, costing the company millions.
The scam was uncovered after an Apple investigator alerted authorities, leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators.
Both men have been ordered to pay restitution to Apple, with Sun responsible for over $1 million and Xue nearly $400,000.