An Apple Store in the Chicago area has been the target of a fraudulent scheme. Authorities arrested six people last week and charged them for operating in an "organized criminal enterprise."
The people reportedly used stolen identities and credit cards to defraud an Apple Store, traveling from out of state.
The Lake County sheriff's department revealed that the six people from New York, aged 18 to 41, would fly in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, rent a car and hit a nearby Apple Store to make fraudulent purchases.
The publication further cites a news release from the sheriff's office saying that the criminal enterprise tried to make fraudulent purchases at multiple Apple Stores in the Chicago area, "using stolen identities and stolen credit card numbers of victims throughout the country."
After an Apple Store in Schaumburg became a target, detectives, along with highway patrol deputies from the sheriff's office, started to increase patrols and surveillance at the Deer Park Apple Store (pictured above).
Six people allegedly attempted to defraud the store between Wednesday and Sunday. They were arrested and charged, and authorities recovered more than $10,000 worth of stolen Apple merchandise from the perpetrators.
Police arrested and charged 21-year-old Nicole E. Cannon, 41-year-old Gisselle Diaz, 26-year-old Corbett Ortiz, 18-year-old Quintin Ortiz, 21-year-old Melinda Aquino, and 20-year-old Frank Aulet.
All six culprits were held in the County Jail and charged with a number of felonies, including possession of a counterfeit credit card; burglary; use of a counterfeit credit card; unlawful use of a fraudulent ID to commit theft; forgery; and identity theft. According to the release, Corbett and Quintin Ortiz were detained without bail.
"It's not common we have out-of-state individuals in a scheme like this traveling from other states," says Christopher Covelli, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.
Apple Stores have been the target of criminal schemes on many occasions, due to the many expensive items found in a store. Back in June, for instance, thieves disguised as Apple Store employees robbed an NYC Apple Store, stealing more than $16,000 worth of iPhones.
Previously, an Apple Store in the Upper West Side was robbed in a similar fashion, with thieves disguised as staff hitting the store twice in two months and grabbing 67 iPhones worth roughly $50,000.
Apple's expensive and high-end devices make its Apple Stores attractive targets for thieves, who pull all sorts of schemes to clean them out. Five suspects are due in court later this month, with one due in August.
"Sheriff Curran reminds the public that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law," adds the press release.
