Fake Apple factory uncovered in China
The business had “hundreds” of workers remanufacturing second-hand smartphone parts as new iPhones for export, with the counterfeit phones generatingprofits of 120m yuan ($19m).
The factory was discovered on May 14, but was revealed on social media by the Beijing public security office on Sunday, according to reports. The company was founded in January.
The business was run by a husband and wife team in the northern suburbs of the Chinese capital, according to Beijing authorities.
They said they had been alerted to the factory by US authorities who had discovered some of the fake phones.
The reports come as part of an official crackdown on counterfeit goods in China, with authorities pressuring businesses to brand products .
China has also agreed to work with US authorities to try to stem the large quantities of counterfeit goods flowing between the two countries.
The discovery of the factory comes four years after fake Apple stores were found in the city of Kunming, China.
Discovered by blogger BirdAbroad, the forgeries were so convincing, he said, that many of the staff themselves believed they had been hired by the American electronics company.
