iPhone scam sees staff ‘steal $500,000’
An alleged iPhone scam has led to the arrest of seven Apple Store staff in Florida.
The seven staff members have been accused of helping criminals steal more than $500,000 (£299,500) from the company by replacing stolen devices.
According to The Register, the plot involved thieves bringing stolen iPhones to the store where the staff would then exchange them for new ones.
The accused are said to have used a contact at Best Buy to supply them with legitimate serial codes, as registered serial numbers of devices reported stolen cannot be processed on Apple’s in-store systems.
Each employee was allegedly paid between $45 and $75 for every stolen iPhone they replaced.
An internal audit team discovered that certain staff were handling an unusually high number of exchanged handsets, which led to Apple calling in the police.
It looks like Apple needs to hire some smarter Geniuses …
