Florida’s certainly not the only state to be a launching pad for scams, but this week, Florida has the dubious distinction of being the home of a new iPhone 5 scam. According to the SunSentinel, the “iPhony five” were arrested with 28 iPhones in their car.
For now, the scam seems to be confined to the east coast, but that will most likely change because there have been many iPhone 5 scams around the country from bait-and-switch street-corner sales where the victim winds up with a rock in a box to the fake cellphone trick.
The new Florida scam starts with someone’s identity being stolen. The scammer then uses that personal information to purchase an iPhone 5 at a discounted price in South Florida or east-coast malls. The phones are purchased in cash for $199 or $250 and are then resold to an individual at a higher price.
The iPhony five were arrested in Boca Raton, but all of the suspects are from New York. The lesson learned here is the same old mantra still applies: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
