Four held in million-euro iPhone scam

Four people suspected of bilking a telecom provider out of a large quantity of Apple iPhones were arrested in Rotterdam on Tuesday. “The damage from this scam has now risen beyond a million euros,” police said in a statement.

One of the four, an employee at the telecom, allegedly ordered the most recent versions of the pricey phones, linking various business addresses to the orders, but then having them delivered to a different address. Police said “it is suspected that he resold them together with the other suspects.”

All four are from Rotterdam, including three men, aged 27, 31, and 39, and a 61-year-old woman. A search of their homes and several of the delivery addresses yielded about 300 thousand euros in cash and several phones.

“The case came to light after the telecom company reported to the police last Friday,” police said on Wednesday. “The investigative team quickly discovered that the suspect received phones again yesterday, and decided to intervene immediately.”

The suspects were still in custody on Wednesday afternoon.