US Department of Homeland Security Busts Large-Scale Fraud Ring Involved in Apple Product Theft
TapTechNews August 1st news, according to the 404Media report on the 31st local time, the US Department of Homeland Security claimed to have busted a cross-state large-scale fraud ring. The gang is suspected of purchasing Apple products from Target stores (Target department store, or Goal department store) across the United States and replacing genuine products with counterfeit ones before returning them to the store.
The US Department of Homeland Security has arrested a man named ChalvinTan and said that he and other unnamed conspirators were identified as participating in a large-scale retail theft scheme, involving the theft of genuine electronic products and the replacement of these genuine products with counterfeit products, which is a large-scale retail theft case implemented nationwide.
It is reported that the gang put the counterfeit products into a mold and engraved the same as the genuine ones marks on them through a laser engraving machine. When the gang returned the modified counterfeit products to the store, they would get a refund.
However, the reason why ChalvinTan was initially arrested was not directly related to this matter, but distracted driving. It is reported that he was stopped earlier this month in Baldwin County, Alabama, and the police found 180 suspected counterfeit Apple devices in his car, as well as fixtures for fixing the devices, engraving machines, and some genuine products that have been packaged and ready to be shipped to other places for sale.
ChalvinTan waived his Miranda rights (TapTechNews note: can refuse to answer the questions of law enforcement officers or refuse to provide information to law enforcement officers) and pleaded guilty to his actions. According to the written testimony, his plan is to mail the stolen products to Hong Kong or sell them to a person in California via WeChat, and these counterfeit products come from Los Angeles. But the information about the counterfeit products and how these products are made is still unknown.