iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones in the secondary market. Sales are especially active in anticipation of the release of a new generation of apple devices - everyone is actively trying to get their hands on devices that are losing or have already lost relevance in order to quickly get a new one. This time is a great way to buy a good smartphone for those who are not chasing the latest versions, objectively evaluating things.
Here you should be extremely careful not to run into an unscrupulous fraudster. We will consider below the most popular ways to cheat when selling iPhoneKnowing about which, you can buy an iPhone from your hands, reducing the risk of being cheated.
10. Prepayment
This variant of fraud is popular not only with the sale of iPhone, but also with other mobile devices.
Of course, there is a place to be a classic "divorce" with an advance payment and further breakdown of all contacts, but it has become much more difficult for modern youth to buy this. Fraudsters now go in more sophisticated ways, offering you courier delivery directly to your home with payment for the goods only after receipt and inspection. But then they begin to talk about fraud attempts, robbery of couriers and other things, offering to pay with a protection code to a personal account, and the protection code itself - to hand it to the courier after receiving a mobile device.
In fact, you simply send funds to someone else's card or mobile number, which will be issued under the guise of a contract number, and you will not see any courier.
9. Refurbished iPhone disguised as new
For many buyers, the iPhone is a mystery what the letters “ref” on the device box mean. Ref or refurbished is a device restored at the factory, in which some manufacturing defects were found, which was broken, drowned or for some other reason lost its working capacity. Abroad, such devices are really completely repaired, tested, cleaned and sold again at a slightly reduced price.
In our country, under the guise of “ref”, iPhones with low-grade Chinese spare parts, low-quality replaced screens, etc. can be sold. After such a makeshift repair, they will last a maximum of several months, after which the new owner will face a number of problems. So do not succumb to persuasion, especially private traders who talk about a brand new iPhone at such a nice price.
8. Chinese iPhone
The times when the Chinese counterparts of the iPhone were released with characters in the menu and a television antenna have long been in the past. Today, identifying the original display in front of you or Chinese can be very difficult, even with careful consideration.
Therefore, you should not be led to convincing stories that a person was suddenly presented with two identical phones, he has urgent problems with money and even has checks from Svyaznoy or Euroset. All this is very easily faked to sell cheap stuff under the guise of an original device.
7. Faulty iPhone
A device that looks brand new, but being faulty, is pasted over with films, packaged in a box and sold under the guise of a new one at a reduced price. There are always a lot of people willing.
6. Locked under the operator iPhone
Devices blocked for work with a specific US operator are sold there for about $ 200. Replacing the sticker on the box and sealing the device back into film, it can be sold at a price of about 20 thousand rubles.
5. Robbery of the buyer
Of course, everyone will now think that it would never occur to anyone to buy such a stupid divorce. iPhones are sold at an extremely competitive price, but of course they can only meet in some remote area at a late hour, because they are busy at work and all that. In fact, the victim is simply lured to some remote place with a lot of money with him.
4. Lock sold iPhone via Apple ID
Due to the fact that in iOS 7 there was a functionality for remotely blocking the device in case of loss or theft, this option was included in the most common methods of cheating when selling iPhone.
Just a day after the transaction, the buyer receives a blocked device with an approximate message “This device has been stolen, I know your location. Return the phone back or I will take the statement to the police. ” Of course, most prefer not to contact the authorities and return the phone, after which the scheme can be repeated indefinitely.
3. iPhone layout
Under the guise of the original iPhone can sell models that are used for installation on store windows. Like boxes, films and other necessary consumables, they can be easily bought for a song in unlimited quantities.
2. Defective iPhone
Having found a solid store with good reviews on Yandex.Market or Avito, which has a discount price on iPhone, you can place your order without going into details.
The courier will rush and fuss, telling the tongue twister about all conditions. Already after his departure, you will find the iPhone inoperative, after which it will inconclusively sort out relations with the fraud shop.
1. Substitute iPhone in the sales process
The sleight of hand of some scammers can be colossal. Right at the meeting, they will show you the original device, and then, in the process of packaging and payment, carefully replaces it with a mock-up or fake.
10 tips to buy your iPnone and not be cheated
- Check completeness and originality of accessories
- Make sure your device is not tied to AppleID
- Require a complete reset and AppleID
- Inspect the device for signs of opening and repair.
- Verify the serial number on the box in the device menu, imei on apple.com
- Inspect the packaging for fuzzy prints and other signs of tampering.
- Never prepay
- Do not go to a meeting alone and, if possible, do not bring cash
- Install your own SIM card to make sure that it works.
- Try calling a friend and receiving an incoming call.
We hope that our material will help you to keep abreast of the most common methods of fraud and deception when selling a used iPhone with your hands or on an ad on Avito and will warn you against mistakes when buying.