Mobile phone shop owner gets seven years for international 'zombie' iPhone fraud
A Dublin-based Chinese businessman has been jailed for seven years and nine months for his role in a €10m international ‘zombie’ iPhone fraud, writes Niamh O’Donoghoe.
Chengwen Guo, 43, of Ivy Exchange, Parnell Street, Dublin, owned several mobile phone shops called Murray Mobile, with stores in locations such as Blackrock, Dundrum, Ranelagh and Newbridge.
Customers were not scammed, but Guo scammed millions of euro from the Apple tech company.
He would import thousands of very poor quality phones and then convince Apple that they were defective iPhones that had to be replaced.
When Apple sent him the replacements, he would export them to China and Russia for sale.
The court was told the fake or ‘zombie’ phones from China were exchanged under warranty for genuine iPhones.
The court heard that 10,158 of the new iPhones were last active mostly outside Ireland.
The total retail value of the Apple products was €10,262,617.
Guo pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to theft and money laundering offences on dates between 2021 and 2022.
The court heard that 10,158 of the new iPhones were last active mostly outside Ireland.
The court heard three sums of money seized in January 2022 included €6,515 found in an Audi Q7 car registered to Guo; €143,245 at his home address; and €20,700 at Murray Mobiles in Dundrum, Dublin 14.
Three Rolex watches were found at his apartment.
