Stormfront among those targeted in £124,000 iPhone fraud spree

Several Apple Premium Reseller stores targeted in fake phone swap scam

One of Apple partner Stormfront's stores was targeted by a conman who was able to swap nearly 300 counterfeit iPhones for genuine replacements during a six-month fraud spree.

That's according to a report in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, which said the scam, perpetrated by Paul Mumloong Chan, led Apple to sustain losses of more than £124,000.

Apple Premium Reseller (APR) Stormfront's store in Huddersfield was among those targeted, as well as other outlets in Hull, Wakefield, Nottingham and Preston, Leeds Crown Court heard, according to the report.

Chan was given genuine replacements for counterfeit iPhones that he had taken in and which could not be powered up, meaning they had to be sent away for examination.

According to his defence, Chan had received just £10 to £20 commission for each phone.

Apple stores in Manchester and Liverpool were also targeted by Chan, who used a number of false names during his visits. He was jailed for two years, the report stated.

Stormfront did not respond to our requests for comment. In its last annual accounts, the Exeter-based outfit, which operates 23 stores, said it expects to "grow significantly" in after Apple granted APR partners the right to stock iPhone last year. Its sales for fiscal 2015 fell 11 per cent to £46.8m.