Employees at an electronics store in the Chinese city of Wenzhou exploited Apple's return policy by exchanging fake parts for real ones, according to a TechWeb report via The Register.
Five employees at an electronics store selling Apple goods were arrested in the Chinese city of Wenzhou after they submitted 121 fake iPhone 4S BAND parts to Apple, claiming they were damaged and needed replacing. BAND is effectively the main part of an iPhone, with a value in China of around 3,000 yuan (£315), according to TechWeb.
Once they received authentic parts in return, the scammers would purchase the other minor components necessary to put together a full device and sell the iPhone 4S for a profit of 1,000 yuan or $162.
It took Apple more than a month to spot the scam but after an investigation the police arrested a shop engineer and her boyfriend.
Notably, this happened just as the Chinese media was blasting Apple over its repair policies.
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Comments (4)
Comments are closed for this article.
0
Guest - April 15, 2013 at 7:24pm
Apple doesn't sell parts! They sell the whole phone. Here is the price list for iPhone 5: If you are out of warranty here is the price: home button - $250, volume button - $250, mic - $250, speaker - $250. Well, any part is $250. And Apple takes your iPhone and refurbishes it then sells it for new or gives it as a replacement!
0
Guest - April 15, 2013 at 7:14pm
I wonder when will apple stop selling refurbished iphones for brand new???
Most of ntelos iPhone that I repair are refurbished but sold for new!!
0
carbon - April 15, 2013 at 4:34pm
what is the band parts? Is that the part that picks up the cellular frequency?
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Dean Evans - April 15, 2013 at 2:57pm
Way to go!!!!! Keep up the high quality standards across the globe.
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