Jinbin Ren has been indicted for allegedly playing a role in an international conspiracy to defraud victims of millions of dollars worth of gift cards to purchase Apple products.
The 38 year old, who is originally from China but lived in Lynnfield, is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he and several others have been accused of acquiring gift cards that were stolen from victims through scams as well as romance fraud, elder fraud, and hacking. He and his conspirators then allegedly used those gift cards to purchase Apple products and electronics that were then shipped to New Hampshire, as the state doesn’t have sales tax.
Ren also operated a warehouse in Salem where they would ship the electronics to China and Hong Kong. When law enforcement searched the defendant’s warehouse in 2024, they found iPhones purchased with the stolen gift cards. More than 4,000 iPhones were seized, according to The New Hampshire Union Leader, which is said to be worth between $8-9 million…