Trending Now - Apple Gift Card Scam Leads to Massive Financial Losses

WHO:

9to5Mac - The operation was run by Chinese nationals.

9to5Mac - Apple assisted investigators in the case.

9to5Mac - The investigation involved New Hampshire Police and the Department of Homeland Security.

WHAT:

9to5Mac - An Apple gift card scam resulted in buyers losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

9to5Mac - One raid recovered 4,000 iPhones valued between $8 million and $9 million.

9to5Mac - The scam involved the theft of Apple gift cards from retail outlets, which were tampered with and then replaced on store shelves.

WHERE:

9to5Mac - The operation was based in New Hampshire.

9to5Mac - The stolen iPhones were sold to grey market importers in China, Dubai, and South America.

WHEN:

9to5Mac - The operation's full scale is said to have run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

WHY:

9to5Mac - The scam was motivated by the potential for significant financial gain through the resale of Apple products.

HOW:

9to5Mac - The scam involved carefully opening Apple gift cards to record the PIN and other vital statistics before repackaging them.

9to5Mac - Once activated with a balance, the organization was notified, took the money from the card, and used it to purchase Apple products.

(UPDATED May 18, 2026 19:28 UTC)

A significant investigation has uncovered a massive Apple gift card scam that resulted in buyers losing hundreds of millions of dollars, with the operation run by Chinese nationals based in New Hampshire. Apple assisted investigators, leading to a raid that recovered 4,000 iPhones valued between $8 million and $9 million, which were sold to grey market importers in China, Dubai, and South America. The scam involved tampering with gift cards to record their PINs, allowing the organization to activate them and use the funds to purchase Apple products for resale.