Australian customs seize numerous tasers disguised as iPhones

Given how used we are at seeing smartphones in everyone’s hand these days, we don’t really give it much thought, except that it is possible that the next iPhone 4 you see could really be a taser in disguise. Australian customs have recently seized a batch of weapons that have originated from China. Within that batch of 6,000 or so weapons were fake iPhone 4 units that on the surface looked like iPhones, but in reality had built-in mechanisms near the top of the phone that had the ability to deliver electric shocks to its intended target.

A photo published by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service showed one of the devices with an instruction sheet describing it as the “iPhone 4 super ultra electronic thin riot.” A spokeswoman for the agency didn’t have immediate information on whether police had tested the devices or where the items were intended to be sold. The device looks similar to an older iPhone. Another photo published by customs showed the shocking mechanism on the top of the phone opposite the headphone jack. The fake iPhones were among other weapons in the shipment, including brass knuckles, extendable batons and other shock devices, according to a press release. A member of the public tipped off police in the state of Victoria to the shipment, which was then seized under a warrant by the customs agency. A 43-year-old man from Thomastown, Victoria — a suburb of Melbourne — was arrested.