Dumb Criminal Tries To Pass Off Ice Blocks As iPads For Fun And Profit

from the the-i-is-for-ice dept

And here we go with another idiot criminal doing idiot criminal things. Every time we write these stories up, we're always left thinking that it can't get any stupider and we're always proved wrong. You'd think between the murder-plotting butt-dialers, LEO-taunting, and parish computer porn purveyors, no follow up act would qualify.

But then you read about an idiot trying to pull off postal insurance fraud by claiming several blocks of ice were actually iPads. Our story begins with Nathan Meunch, who walked into a UK Post Office sopping-wet, which he explained by stating it was raining when it wasn't, and then put a package on the counter which he said contained several iPads. He wanted to send this package via special delivery and fully insure them for the value of $4,000. After then claiming he couldn't recall what his own return address was, things went exactly as you've already guessed they went.

About an hour after Nathan dropped off his parcel and left, another post office employee noticed a puddle of water forming underneath the package. After investigating the cause of wetness, they discovered that the "iPads" were actually just blocks of ice. At that moment, it became clear that either something had gone catastrophically wrong at the Apple manufacturing plant, or that Nathan was trying to pull off a (terribly planned) scam.
But, because the Post Office is quite proud of their reputation for timely deliveries (snicker), and likely to make sure Meunch had all the rope required to build a super-awesome noose of self-destruction, they delivered the package anyway, which ostensibly no longer contained $4,000 worth of ice-pads. Right on time, the post office was hit for an insurance claim on the delivery. That's when the men were charged with fraud and the insults started coming from behind friendly lines.
The two men's scheme was easily exposed by the authorities, who charged charged both of them with fraud. At the trial, even Bennett's own lawyer referred to their plan as "rather pathetic." On Monday, August 12 of 2013, both Nigel Bennett and Nathan Meunch were sentenced to 12 months of community service, 150 hours of unpaid work for the court system, and a £500 (approximately $775) fine.
So way to go, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Enjoy all that unpaid labor during the summer hours. And if you get a little toasty from all the effort, imagine just how nice it'd be to have a couple of blocks of sweet, cool ice lying around.

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Filed Under: dumb criminals, ice blocks, insurance, ipad, nathan meunch, post office


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  • icon
    GMacGuffin (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 1:59pm

    The Why

    Notwithstanding that this may be the best story ever, I was contemplating the obvious "why ice blocks?" question.

    Theory: Some other criminal told them that those freezer ice packs work for the scam(kind of the same size anyway), and our heroes here got the "ice" part right, but not the reason therefor part.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    DB (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:22pm

    Misunderstood 'dry ice'

    My guess is that the planned scam was sending blocks of dry ice that weighed the same as a packaged ipad. The originating post office would weigh the package, affix postage based the weight, and insure as specified.

    When it arrived at the destination, the dry ice would have sublimated with no evidence remaining. The recipient would open the box at the post office, and immediately file a claim, with the original weight and much lighter empty box as evidence that the contents were stolen en route.

    It's a workable plan, if you get all of the proof points right. But... using regular ice... wow, you missed the point.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Ninja (profile), 23 Aug 2013 @ 4:39am

      Re: Misunderstood 'dry ice'

      I wonder, wouldn't the dry ice make the package cold or something prompting suspicion? And doesn't the postal service have x-ray equipment or something like that?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Wally (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:31pm

    I guess they deserve to be thrown into the cooler for their misdeeds.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:40pm

    itym Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    John, 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:53pm

    Charged Twice!

    "The two men's scheme was easily exposed by the authorities, who charged charged both of them with fraud."

    It was so bad, they charged them TWICE!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 3:53pm

    Goddamn! I'm surprised that they can survive the hardships of everyday life. I guess they've been lucky so far, but just to be safe better not tell them to look up in the shower.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:19pm

    Looks like those two...

    *puts on shades*

    ...just got put on ice.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Get off my cyber-lawn! (profile), 22 Aug 2013 @ 4:29pm

    Fargin Iceholes!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    pat, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:11pm

    confused

    no.no I said ice pads!!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rekrul, 22 Aug 2013 @ 7:45pm

    Why not just use blocks of wood, or anything else that would weigh the same and then claim the iPads were stolen in transit?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Casey, 22 Aug 2013 @ 8:42pm

      Re:

      They were probably hoping the blocks of ice would melt and then it would appear to be an empty package upon arrival.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Mike Masnick (profile), 23 Aug 2013 @ 12:22am

      Re:

      Why not just use blocks of wood, or anything else that would weigh the same and then claim the iPads were stolen in transit?

      The idea was to have nothing in the package on the receiving end. This way they can still show that it weighed something at the beginning, but there was nothing at the end -- and thus it must have been "stolen" en route.

      But, as suggested above, someone probably suggested they use dry ice, and they were too stupid to know the difference.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Michael, 23 Aug 2013 @ 6:52am

    Punishment

    both Nigel Bennett and Nathan Meunch were sentenced to 12 months of community service, 150 hours of unpaid work for the court system

    I am beginning to understand why our court system is so inefficient.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    btrussell (profile), 27 Aug 2013 @ 1:09am

    So how many patents were infringed? Did they use rounded corners?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Sep 2013 @ 7:06am

    Get a job scum

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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