Reactions to the Fugitive Owner of 'Kourosh Company': Advertisers Exploited Public Trust

The news of the fugitive owner of 'Kourosh Company', which claimed to sell 'iPhones for 20 million tomans' in Iran, has sparked widespread reactions on social media, with users criticizing cultural and sports figures who advertised for the company. 'Kourosh Company' had gained attention through extensive advertising by well-known cultural and sports personalities, claiming to sell iPhones, which are sanctioned in Iran, at lower prices. Now, reports from Iranian news agencies confirm that the owner is on the run, and the economic crimes police have stated they are 'in pursuit of this individual to restore the rights of the victims'. Following the news of the company's office being sealed, several victims gathered outside its building, and now, with the announcement of the owner's fugitive status, many users have criticized the celebrities and influencers who widely promoted the company. The company, which operated in mobile phone sales, claimed to provide iPhones, which are traded at 35 to 40 million tomans in the free market, to consumers for '20 million tomans' by 'eliminating intermediaries'. In recent months, figures such as Sadegh Boqi, Alireza Beiranvand, Reza Shafiei Jam, Javad Hashemi, Youssef Sayadi, Youssef Timouri, Shahrebanu Eleh, Soheila Mansourian, Elham Pavehnejad, Mohsen Ebrahimzadeh, Niusha Zeighami, Manouchehr Hadi, and Elham Hamidi were among the advertisers for 'Kourosh Company'. Amirhossein Sharifian, the young owner of 'Kourosh Company', who claimed he would deliver 'people's phones in my home parking lot', has now fled after a major fraud under the indifference of the Islamic Republic's regulatory bodies, and some users have shared images attributed to him wandering in Dubai. Some users have identified the owner of 'Kourosh Company' as 'a Basij member' who 'scammed many people with the claim of selling cheap iPhones and left'. One user on social media described this fraud as 'another golden page of government agents and other embezzlements', suggesting that the manager of Kourosh Company, who 'was promoting the sale of the 20 million toman iPhone 13 with government celebrities and athletes, has likely fled to the paradise of embezzlers in the Islamic Republic'. The suggestion of Sharifian's escape to the 'paradise of embezzlers in the Islamic Republic', implicitly referring to Canada, comes a day after the news of the Speaker of Parliament's son attempting to emigrate to Canada. Another user emphasized that this company 'activated greed' and that 'those who advertised for it exploited public trust', stating that 'people should not trust their words'. Another user on X pointed out other cases of embezzlement and economic corruption related to the Islamic Republic and sarcastically wrote: 'The country is in a win-win situation: whatever the Dabbesh tea gained, it gained. Whatever Kourosh Company gained, it gained. Whatever the SUV gained, it gained. Whatever the oil rig gained, it gained. Whatever the financial institution gained, it gained.' Some users have also questioned the advertisers of this company, stressing that as long as the regulatory bodies operate this way, Kourosh Company 'will not be the first nor the last'. Several well-known 'cultural and sports' figures in Iran were among the advertisers of this company, which, according to official reports, its owner has fled Iran after this major fraud. Among the advertisers of this mobile phone trading company, actress Elham Hamidi expressed regret after the announcement of the owner's fugitive status, telling her audience, 'I, like you, was deceived.' She stated that she, along with her lawyer, is 'following up on this matter' and will stand by the victims 'until the end'. The reaction of Elham Hamidi, one of the promoters of Kourosh Company, to the fraud of this company. Financial corruption in the Islamic Republic has repeatedly made headlines in Iran; for instance, in recent months, details about violations in rice imports and the spending of cheap currency by the 'rice mafia' for it were revealed, and before that, the corruption case of 'Dabbesh tea' was at the forefront of the news. The spread of corruption in Iran's economy comes at a time when livelihood protests have intensified in recent months, and the level of embezzlement and corruption has become one of the focal points of the slogans of retirees, workers, victims, and employees in various industries.