Recent claims have surfaced alleging that 185 Indian employees were terminated by Apple for abusing its Matching Grants program. However, these allegations lack credible evidence and have not been corroborated by reliable sources. Official reports from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office clarify that six former Apple employees were charged in connection with a $150,000 fraudulent donation scheme, which involved false claims of charitable contributions to organizations like the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) and Hop4Kids.
Making a post on X (Formerly Twitter) @NoticerNews wrote. “Apple has fired as many as 185 Indian workers from its Cupertino headquarters for taking part in a massive donations scam”.
Apple has fired as many as 185 Indian workers from its Cupertino headquarters for taking part in a massive donations scam.https://t.co/ZGHViv4f8u
— The Noticer (@NoticerNews) January 9, 2025
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also disseminated the claims. Their posts can be seen here, @BhavikaKapoor5, @Kabal_Jee, @UnfiltdTruth.
The truth behind the claims about Apple, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the claims made by influencers came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis regarding the claims. We found that the news about 185 Indian workers at Apple being fired was not true.
To verify the claims made by users. We performed relevant keyword searches but couldn’t find official sources supporting these claims. According to verified report and an official statement from the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, six former Apple employees were charged in a $150,000 charitable donation scheme. Under the leadership of Siu Kei (Alex) Kwan, five defendants falsely claimed to make donations to the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange (ACICE) or Hop4Kids.
In reality, the donations were returned to the individuals, while Kwan – CEO of Hop4Kids and accountant for ACICE – kept Apple’s matching funds. Meanwhile, the defendants reported these fake donations as charitable contributions on their tax returns.
The individuals charged are Siu Kei (Alex) Kwan, 37, of Castro Valley; Yathei (Hayson) Yuen, 34, of San Jose; Yat C (Sunny) Ng, 35, of Milpitas; Wentao (Victor) Li, 38, of Hayward; Lichao Ni, 39, of Sunnyvale; and Zheng Chang, 31, of Union City. They face multiple felony charges, including grand theft, conspiracy to commit grand theft, perjury, and tax fraud. The claim that 185 Indian employees were fired, as reported by The Great Andhra and multiple Indian media outlets, lacks credible evidence and remains unverified. According to reports only 10 Indians were impacted.
Therefore, it is evident from verified sources that the claims about 185 Indians being fired by Apple were not true.
2824
— D-Intent Data (@dintentdata) January 9, 2025
ANALYSIS: Unsubstantiated
FACT: Claims are circulating that 185 Indian employees working for Apple were fired for misusing its Matching Grants program. These claims are not supported by credible/official sources. According to sources,10 Indian employees were impacted.(1/5) pic.twitter.com/gXPwV5PTDk
Intent
Influencers and media outlets are circulating misleading claims to target Indian Americans working at Apple.
Conclusion
Claim– 185 Indian employees working for Apple were fired for misusing its Matching Grants program.
Fact– There are no official sources supporting these claims. According to official reports, six former Apple employees were charged in a $150,000 charitable donation scheme. None of them are Indians.
Related Article: Made in India iPhones: Fact-Checked Against Fabricated Claims
