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Pablo Escobar's brother says FaceTime flaw revealed his address, sues Apple for a publicity stunt (and $2.6 billion)

Graham CLULEY

May 29, 2020

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Pablo Escobar's brother says FaceTime flaw revealed his address, sues Apple for a publicity stunt (and $2.6 billion)

You may not have heard of Roberto Escobar, but if his surname isn’t familiar to you it surely will be to your parents.

That’s because his brother, the late Pablo Escobar, was a high profile Colombian drug lord whose Medellin cartel monopolised the cocaine trade into the United States in the eighties and nineties.

So, you would think it wouldn’t be hard for Roberto Escobar to trade off his notorious surname if he wanted some attention for his company – Escobar Inc – which manages the assets of the Escobar family.

Escobar Inc’s latest offerings? A limited edition 24 carat gold-plated iPhone 11 Pro, and a $399 Escobar folding phone promoted via the tried-and-trusted technique of a video of skimpily-clad models frolicking around.

The problem is that people who ordered phones from Escobar Inc say that they never received the product, and feel that they have been scammed. Fancy that – someone in the Escobar family might be up to no good!

Popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee does a better job than I could explaining why you really shouldn’t buy one of these phones if you don’t want to be scammed.

Other YouTuber influencers including Mrwhosetheboss made videos also warning the public not to give the company any money.

So, facing such a negative reaction on social media, Escobar Inc has found a new way tog get itself attention.

It’s filed a $2.6 billion law suit against Apple.

According to the law suit, Roberto Escobar claims that Apple is in breach of contract because it failed to “provide a phone free of exploits.” For that Escobar wants $100 million.

Furthermore, Escobar claims he is owned $500 million by Apple for not telling him when a security hole was found in FaceTime.

Finally, Escobar says that he suffered “mental and emotional distress and anguish” after – he claims – someone found out his location through the FaceTime flaw, forcing him to step up his personal security. Escobar argues in the law suit that this is worth $2 billion.

Is Apple really going to give $2.6 billion to Roberto Escobar’s company? Of course not.

And Escobar Inc doesn’t expect to win.

But Escobar Inc does expect to receive a huge amount of press coverage, which will mean more people will hear about its phones than ever before, and some might even be tempted to buy them.

Whether those people will actually ever receive the products they are expecting or a refund is another matter entirely.

Certainly I wouldn’t buy a product from a firm like Escobar Inc. Attempting to purchase a phone via its online store seemingly only possible via direct bank transfer, cryptocurrency, or a Western Union transfer.

If that doesn’t set alarm bells ringing in your head, maybe you’re on drugs yourself.

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Graham CLULEY

Graham Cluley is an award-winning security blogger, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s.

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