If you thought stealing $1M worth of iPhones through a scam was a big deal, try another which netted thieves $19 million worth of iPhones.

The long-running operation was allegedly carried out by a New York-based gang who was finally caught after seven years …

Quartz reports that it was a large-scale identity theft operation.

It’s likely that the scammers deliberately chose a payment plan for two reasons. First, because the downpayment was small, it was likely to go through ok on the cloned card. Second, as the real customers wouldn’t suddenly have a large amount being debited, it would probably take them longer to spot the fraudulent transactions.

Associates using fake IDs and counterfeit debit cards went to mobile phone stores and posed as the legitimate account holders, looking to upgrade to new phones on their existing accounts. They would spread payments out over many months, which would come as a surprise on the actual customer’s next bill. By then, the scammers—and the devices—were already long gone.

The police report says that the gang traveled throughout the US to obtain the phones.

There were different levels of involvement, and one of the low-level criminals caught has now agreed to give evidence against the rest in return for a reduced sentence.

During the course of the conspiracy, the Fraud Ring fraudulently obtained more than $19 million worth of devices. To facilitate the scheme, the Fraud Ring traveled to approximately 34 different states, but often brought or shipped the fraudulently obtained cellphones back to the Bronx, where they regularly sold them through fencing operations.

The informant, referred to only as CW-1 (Cooperating Witness 1), said that he was paid $100 for each iPhone he obtained from stores.

CW-1 was recruited to join the Fraud Ring in or about 2013. That year, he went on his first trip with the Fraud. CW-1 has pleaded guilty to multiple offenses pursuant to a cooperation agreement with the Government. Thus far, the information provided by CW-1 has been reliable and has been corroborated by other aspects of this investigation.

The defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty, and each has been released on $100,000 bail.

The ultimate cost of the $19 million worth of iPhones obtained would have been bourne by the victims of the identity thefts. The case serves to underline the importance of being alert to phishing scams, as most identity theft begins by obtaining logins to online services. Most dangerous of all are email logins, as this allows scammers to do password resets and email financial services companies posing as the customer.

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