Celebrity-assisted scammers "made" $35 million by promising buyers non-existent cheap iPhones

In Iran, a major iPhone fraud scheme brought in about $35 million for the attackers.

Here's What We Know

For supporting terrorism, the US imposed sanctions on Iran, which, among other things, prohibit the supply of smartphones and other gadgets to the country. Therefore, officially Apple does not work in Iran and supplies its devices there.

As a result, the grey market is active in the country: smartphones are imported to Iran through other countries, which significantly affects their cost. Along with the grey market, fraud is also flourishing.

For example, Kourosh, a company based in Tehran, ran an active advertising campaign for several months, offering cheap iPhones for only $700. The company explained that it did not use the services of expensive intermediaries and bought gadgets directly.

To boost sales, Kourosh enlisted local celebrities in the advertising campaign, who were credible to customers. As a result, the company raised about $35 million and, of course, disappeared. Customers waited 45 days for their smartphones and, not receiving them, turned to law enforcement.

The man who organised the scam is now overseas but will likely be extradited to Iran. Celebrities seemingly had no knowledge of the scam, but have already faced public condemnation.

Source: 9to5mac