From the second part of your question, it sounds like you're focusing on the "wire," when your answer lies in focusing on the "fraud." It can't be applied to "

From the second part of your question, it sounds like you're focusing on the "wire," when your answer lies in focusing on the "fraud." It can't be applied to "any activity done with electronic device[s]," unless that activity is to trick people into giving you money in exchange for a bogus or nonexistent product or service. As in the text of the law in a sibling comment, the rules parallel "mail fraud," which is the same: if you send a magazine offering to sell someone a fancy tool kit for $200, and they send a check and you send a box of dirt, you've committed mail fraud. If you do the same thing over the phone or internet, it's wire fraud. In this case, the fraud went the other way: Apple says "if you bought a thing from us, you can return it," students say, "we bought this thing, please give me money back," but really, they didn't buy it, because this thing was a fake. I'm not a lawyer, but I think it's the lying about the counterfeit nature of the item returned is what makes it a crime. Focusing on whether it's wire or mail or some other kind of fraud, or what other kind of device activity is covered under the statute, is not as relevant as the lying part.