Apple Scammed! 10k iPhones Stolen, Instead Of Being Shredded

Silicon giant, Apple warns us about possible scams that can happen with us on our iPhones. However, this time it appears like one of the biggest tech companies in the world got scammed, right under its nose. Wait! What? According to the latest reports, over 10,00,000 iPhones that were supposed to be scrapped, were stolen and sent to China. Let’s dig into the whole matter.

The silicon giant, Apple had a contract with an outside contractor called GEEP. The iPhone maker paid GEEP to shred used devices that it accepts as a part of its trade-in policy. The contract requires GEEP to scrape over a quarter of a million of devices annually. Sources claim that the tech giant sent over 530,000 iPhones, 25,000 iPads, and 19,000 Apple Watches in the first year of the contract. Apple kept on sending its products to get scrapped, but that wasn’t happening. The tech giant conducted an audit in 2020. It found that a minimum of 99,975 working iPhones which it presumed were scrapped, were sent to China. After that, those iPhones were sold in the used market.

How did iPhone Maker React to this?

The Cupertino-based company filed a lawsuit against GEEP for breach of contract. However, GEEP did not follow the lawsuit. It appears like Apple is letting them go without a fight. If the company does not progress the lawsuit, it will automatically be dropped in January 2025. Now, the question arises why is Apple not taking any action?

You must be mindful of Apple’s trade-in and recycling policy. The company requests users to exchange their old iPhones for new ones. Most of these phones are fully functional. Moreover, they can be easily reset and sold in the used market. Apple claims to recycle its products. If the lawsuit gets a lot of engagement, it can become a PR nightmare for the company. Hence, the iPhone maker stepped back from the lawsuit. This is what we think.

Apple claims that it has now changed its way. However, it wasn’t doing that because more used iPhones in the market meant fewer of the new ones getting sold. That was not the case indeed! Anyhow, what do you think? Do share with us in the comment section.