Six people from New York have been charged with allegedly attempting fraudulent transactions at the Deer Park Apple Store near Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. Lake County authorities tell the paper that the scheme is an "organized criminal enterprise."

deerparkapplestore
Last week, authorities learned that the scheme was being attempted at various Apple Stores in the Chicago area. The suspects were using stolen identities and credit card numbers throughout the country to make purchases, according to police.

Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, told the Chicago Tribune that the suspects would fly into O'Hare International Airport, rent a car, and immediately head to local Apple Stores to attempt the enterprise. Authorities began increasing patrols and surveillance around the Deer Park store after another store in Schaumburg was targeted. Between Wednesday and Sunday, six people attempted the scheme at the store. Police recovered $10,000 worth of stolen Apple products from the alleged suspects.

Covelli said the traveling scheme is not common with out-of-state individuals.

Top Rated Comments

44267547 Avatar
114 months ago
Link this charge with previous torrent site KAT being taken down, all Apple protects is the profit alone, and nothing more.
The only matter business care is money.
What else does Apple have to protect? It's called Loss Prevention and preventing loss with cooperating with Law Enforcement to assist in stopping those criminals involved. This was a great stop and believe me, their are more than six individuals involved, there are always more. These criminals would have continued their behavior until they were caught, as they have Nothing to lose.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HopefulHumanist Avatar
114 months ago
Will they ever implement Apple Pay? I don't think it's active in store…
It most certainly is active; I've used it a few times in Apple Stores now.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subjonas Avatar
114 months ago
It's a pity that humanity will never find the cure for being young and foolish.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
114 months ago
So they got maybe max 5 MacBooks (pros, airs etc.(assuming varying configurations, not all highest priced)), 7-8 iPads depending on model or config. Or 7-12 iPhones Or a little of everything... For an "enterprise" specializing in theft, this kind of seems to be on the lean side for what they were targeting. Nice to hear they were caught though "coughs" "erm charged"
Being they were caught early on and not later, this would have continued to until they hit as many Apple Stores as possible. $10,000 is not much in terms of hardware, which easily could have approached $100,000 if they were not Apprehended. Not to mention the lives ruined with stolen identity, which is another level by itself. These are career criminals.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
first535353 Avatar
114 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/07/25/fraud-scheme-chicago-apple-store/')


Six people from New York have been charged with allegedly attempting fraudulent transactions at the Deer Park Apple Store near Chicago, according ('http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-lake-county-apple-arrests-0726-20160725-story.html') to the Chicago Tribune. Lake County authorities tell the paper that the scheme is an "organized criminal enterprise."



Last week, authorities learned that the scheme was being attempted at various Apple Stores in the Chicago area. The suspects were using stolen identities and credit card numbers throughout the country to make purchases, according to police.

Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, told the Chicago Tribune that the suspects would fly into O'Hare International Airport, rent a car, and immediately head to local Apple Stores to attempt the enterprise. Authorities began increasing patrols and surveillance around the Deer Park store after another store in Schaumburg was targeted. Between Wednesday and Sunday, six people attempted the scheme at the store. Police recovered $10,000 worth of stolen Apple products from the alleged suspects.

Covelli said the traveling scheme is not common with out-of-state individuals.

Article Link: Authorities Charge 6 in Chicago Apple Store Traveling Fraud Scheme ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/07/25/fraud-scheme-chicago-apple-store/')
OMG I LIVE 7 MINUTES FROM DEER PARK IL!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nickmcpherson97 Avatar
114 months ago
So they got maybe max 5 MacBooks (pros, airs etc.(assuming varying configurations, not all highest priced)), 7-8 iPads depending on model or config. Or 7-12 iPhones Or a little of everything... For an "enterprise" specializing in theft, this kind of seems to be on the lean side for what they were targeting. Nice to hear they were caught though "coughs" "erm charged"
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...