Apple Distributors Arrested for Selling Customer's Data in $7.4 Million

Image Source: South China Morning Post

22 Apple Distributor's founded selling Customers data for $7.4 Million. These 22 distributors working as Apple distributors as part of a $7 million operation stole customers’ personal information from an internal Apple database and illegally sold it to Chinese black market vendors.

Recently Chinese authorities have announced the arrest of these 22 distributors.   

According to a Chinese Media report, This underground network included employees working in direct Apple suppliers, and other outsource firm in Zhejiang.

 
These employees had access to Apple databases along with other tools containing sensitive information about its customers.

They used their company's internal computer system to collect data, including user names, email addresses, phone numbers and Apple IDs, and then sold it in the underground market for between 10 yuan ($ 1.47) and 80 yuan ( $ 11.78) per data point.


So far, they made a total of 50 million yuan (around $7.36 million). However, it is not clear if the figures sold by suspects were only of Chinese apple users or users elsewhere as well. 

Chinese authorities haven't revealed much details about the arrest at this moment. 

Although the police statement has revealed that Chinese officials had investigated in four provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, after few months of the investigation, 22 suspects were arrested at the weekend.

Officials dismantled their online network and confiscated all "criminal tools" and announced on Thursday that the suspects were detained in connection with the "detained on suspicion of infringing individuals’ privacy and illegally obtaining their digital personal information. "

How this Spamming Operation Will Affect You?

Your personal data is profitable both for marketing companies to deliver targeted advertisements to you, and for hackers to carry out malicious hacking campaigns, including phishing attacks and other email scams.


 
Police are trying to capture and destroy the network of scammers, but users are advised to be alert when opening an attachment in the email, clicking on the links in the messages of unknown numbers and giving any details on the phone call. 


So what do you think about this? Comment your thoughts below.