In a recent court ruling in Singapore, two childhood friends from China, Hu Haijun and Hu Zhen Jie, were found guilty of selling counterfeit iPhones to unsuspecting buyers in the country.
The elaborate scheme involved targeting vulnerable groups such as domestic helpers and labourers, exploiting their trust for financial gain. The State Courts handed down sentences to both men, with Haijun receiving five months’ jail time and Zhen Jie sentenced to three months and one week in prison.
The deception began when Haijun purchased four counterfeit iPhone 16 Pro Max devices from a supplier in Shenzhen and brought them into Singapore to pass them off as authentic. His choice of victims, domestic helpers, and labourers, was strategic as he believed they would be easier to cheat.
The involvement of Zhen Jie further deepened the scheme, as he assisted in importing more fake phones and provided fake sales receipts to add credibility to the operation.
One of the significant incidents detailed in court documents involved Haijun selling a counterfeit phone to a female Indonesian national for approximately S$600.
The victim, upon discovering the fake nature of the device, lodged a police report, leading to the unravelling of the fraudulent activities. Similarly, another foreign worker was also duped into purchasing a counterfeit phone at a reduced price after negotiating with Haijun.
The culmination of the investigation saw the arrests of both men at the Kim Tian Hotel in Geylang, where authorities seized cash and other properties related to the case.
During the court proceedings, both Haijun and Zhen Jie, speaking through Mandarin interpreters, cited personal responsibilities as their sole breadwinners as a plea for leniency. However, the presiding judge highlighted the aggravating factor that Haijun specifically targeted vulnerable individuals for his fraudulent activities.
Principal District Judge Toh Han Li aptly puts it, “It was aggravating that Haijun had targeted victims whom he saw as more vulnerable.”
