Technology firm Apple lost more than £124,000 after a conman was able to swap counterfeit iPhones for genuine replacements.
The Stormfront store in the Kingsgate centre in Huddersfield was among the shops targeted by Paul Mumloong Chan.
During a six-month spree Chan obtained 283 phones, Leeds Crown Court heard.
Nick Adlington, prosecuting, said Apple had offered to replace phones if they were found to have a fault.
Chan would take the counterfeit phones in which could not be powered up so the fault could not be checked on the premises.
They would have to be sent away for examination and in the meantime Chan would be given a replacement of a genuine iPhone.
Chan used a number of false names during his visits to various outlets not just in Huddersfield but in Hull, Wakefield, Nottingham and Preston as well as the Apple stores in Manchester and Liverpool.
When he was finally traced a “how to commit fraud guide” supplied to him by those behind the scam was found giving information on using false identities and advising him not to store the real phones at his home.
Mr Adlington said Chan indicated initially that he did not believe he had done anything wrong.
The loss to Apple was £124,000 but they indicated the case was part of a larger fraud against them involving at least 400 phones.
Mohammed Nawaz, representing Chan, said the prosecution accepted from chat and text messages that another man had introduced him to the fraud. The court heard he is now believed to be in China.
He said Chan accepted he had played “an important and pivotal role but others were above him reaping the profits.”
He had received £10 to £20 commission for each phone – around £5,000 – at a time when he found himself out of work and needed to support his family.
He had now got a job as deputy manager at a café and was terrified at the thought of going to prison and the effect on his family.
Chan, 36 of Woodstock Road, Moston, Manchester, admitted fraud and was jailed for two years.
Judge Sally Cahill QC said: “This offence involved you going to retail premises where you took fraudulent iPhones and changed them for the real thing. You did so by claiming the phone was not working and took advantage of the exchange of phones by Apple.”
She said the prosecution accepted others were involved “but you chose to involve yourself.”
