Man steals 9,000 Shuffles

A Michigan repairman has been charged with fraud and money laundering perpetrated against Apple, writes the San Francisco Chronicle. Nicholas Woodhams is said to have fraudulently stolen over 9,000 iPod shuffles, of which "thousands" were then sold for $49 apiece. Filings at a federal court in Grand Rapids suggest that Woodhams took advantage of Apple's website, which lets users ask for a replacement Shuffle if they have a valid serial number under warranty.

Prosecutors allege that by determining how to successfully guess serial numbers, Woodhams was able to request Shuffles en masse. Replacements typically require sending a defective player back, but Woodhams is said to have dodged the normal penalty charge by using credit cards that would reject the transaction. It is not known which model(s) of the Shuffle the man is accused of stealing.

by MacNN Staff