Pablo Escobar's brother sues Apple for $2.6 billion over lax iPhone security

iPhone X passcode screen
iPhone X passcode screen (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Roberto Escobar, Pablo Escobar's brother, is suing Apple.
  • He wants $2.6 billion after someone reportedly "hacked" his iPhone.
  • He claims he got a life-threatening letter after somebody found his address through FaceTime.

Pablo Escobar's brother, Roberto, is suing Apple for $2.6 billion over claims his address was compromised because of poor iPhone security.

According to a report from TMZ:

Pablo Escobar's brother says his life was threatened because of lax security protocols on his phone ... so, now he wants Apple to cough up billions.The notorious Colombian kingpin's bro, Roberto, is suing Apple for a whopping $2.6 BILLION, claiming someone hacked his smartphone and found his address through FaceTime, even though he claims an Apple employee assured him the iPhone X was the most secure on the market.

According to the report, Roberto bought the phone in April 2018. One year later, he says he got a "life-threatening letter" from someone called Diego, who claims that he found Roberto's address through FaceTime. In the court documents seen by TMZ, Robert claims that he had to relocate for his own safety, as well as fork out more money on security. Ironically, he bought the phone as a security measure after several attempts on his life:

Roberto claims he had several assassination attempts on his life before buying the iPhone X, and only bought the phone because he'd been assured his info would be safe from hackers.

According to Roberto's "own investigation", he found his iPhone had been compromised due to a FaceTime vulnerability. The most bizarre aspect of this story is that in some sort of spite-driven business venture, Roberto has also published a website called ripapple.com, where he is selling 24K Gold iPhone 11 Pro models for the astonishing cut price of $499. The phone's description states:

The OFFICIAL ESCOBAR GOLD 11 PRO smartphone is the real APPLE KILLER phone. Rest In Peace Apple, Pablo always wins. This is an incredible phone, at a competitive price. THIS IS AN ORIGINAL APPLE IPHONE 11 PRO THAT HAS BEEN 24K GOLD PLATED. FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE! WORKS WORLDWIDE ON ALL NETWORKS. UNLOCKED.

This isn't the first time Apple has fallen foul of the Escobar family. Earlier this year, Roberto launched a $349 "unbreakable" gold smartphone. At that time, he also announced that his lawyers were preparing a $30bn class-action lawsuit against Apple, who he accused of being "scammers" who were "cheating the people and selling worthless phones." Seems a bit harsh.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9