There are lots of Apple Stores, many in jurisdictions that don't prioritize vigorous prosecution of small thefts or mere possession-of-stolen-property. There ar

There are lots of Apple Stores, many in jurisdictions that don't prioritize vigorous prosecution of small thefts or mere possession-of-stolen-property. There are lots of individuals who'd take the chance to make a quick buck. So it doesn't need to be one scaled organization: just a functioning black market. Imagine the false docs are often accepted, rather than triggering a criminal prosecution. The practical maximum downside may be mere impoundment of the device, rather than a conviction/jailing. (And, even that would require Apple's policy to be to assertive & confrontational: "you presented us suspicious documentation, we're holding this device – that you carried here, in your possession – until police sort it out." Does Apple want to take the risk of that backfiring on them? Or would store staff, in practice, simply say: "we can't accept that documentation, you and your device should leave.") Then Apple's lenience here will support a positive resale value of stolen devices, enough for the weakness in their systems to be exploited.