Apple Slammed for Allowing Thieves to Use Fake IDs and QR Codes to Steal MacBooks Ordered Online

Apple customers are experiencing an influx of thieves using intricate methods to steal their MacBooks.

Reports are emerging from across Southern California, where impostors have been leveraging fake IDs and counterfeit QR codes to snatch laptops from Apple stores before the rightful buyers can pick them up. This crime, as detailed by various media outlets, occurs when consumers order Apple laptops online only to discover upon arrival at the store that their device has already been claimed.

Darragh Marmorstein, a Los Angeles resident, shared her story with the Orange County Register. She ordered a Macbook Pro and received a notification that it was ready for pickup at the Americana at Brand in Glendale. However, upon calling the store, she was informed that her order had already been collected. Marmorstein was devastated to learn that Apple would not reimburse her for the laptop, nor would they confirm whether the individual who picked it up used a valid ID.

This situation was echoed by Yorba Linda’s Paul Giles, whose 16-inch MacBook Pro was taken by an impersonator at the same Glendale store. Giles was told by an Apple manager, “Somebody apparently impersonated you and picked it up.”

Rick Markowitz also fell victim to this scam in Sherman Oaks. He ordered a laptop for in-store pickup, only to find that someone had used a fake ID to retrieve it. Markowitz reported the incident to the police but has yet to receive a response. He was informed by Apple that his QR code had been used to claim his device.

“That’s crazy,” he said, expressing disbelief that someone could access his laptop without any sign of hacking or identity theft.

Glendale, Irvine police spokesman Kyle Oldoerp is determined to get to the bottom of how these thieves have bene able to pull off such a feat.

“It’s all MacBook Pros,” Oldoerp said. “The million dollar question is, how are these suspects getting specific info about a specific product?”