A television news report out of Baltimore gives an example of how counterfeit Apple products are being sold via kiosks in malls, some most likely near Apple Stores in the same malls.
WBAL, via 9to5Mac:
Officers said they raided the Cyberion store and the ST Tech Pros kiosk last Friday and recovered hundreds of fake Apple products that were being sold as authentic factory replacements.”These organizations that make these products are using substandard materials. They are doing everything they can to make them look like the real thing,” said Greg Shipley with the Maryland State Police.
The items recovered from the Baltimore Mall included:
- 24 iPhones and the colored fronts and backings that go with them
- Cellphone conversion kits
- iPhone and iPad covers
- Apple product ID stickers
- iPad replacement screens
- Various internal iPhone parts.
- Packaging materials, equipment used to design and print those materials
- Computer equipment believed to be used to clone phones.
“Our investigators believe that they were acting as some type of authorized Apple repair shop and they were taking Apple phones and replacing them with interior parts that were inferior, that were fake, that were not Apple products,” Shipley said.
An Apple representative is reported to have helped with the investigation, confirming that the products were counterfeit items. Estimated value of the confiscated products: Over $89,000.
Always be cautious when buying name-brand items. Just because something has a logo on it doesn’t mean it’s an official product from that company. Always beware of items that are posted at much lower prices than usual.
