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Advice needed: Buying a stolen iPhone ?

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Original poster
Aug 25, 2008
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Hey guys my Iphone was stolen about 1.5 weeks ago and I have been searching ebay and Craigslist for a viable replacement.

If I find a person selling an Iphone for a good price, how can I verify that the Iphone is not stolen ?

(I hope the title is not too misleading)
 
umm im pretty sure i purchased a stolen iphone on a forum a few weeks ago. i was scared when the wifi stopped working, but i checked the serial number on the apple site and it was still good. i called up and they sent me a box on friday to send it back for a replacement. Im not 100% sure if the unit i bought was stolen or not but i assumed it was cuz it didnt come with any accesories, and the guy sold it to me for a relatively cheap price for a 16gb iphone. They said they would give me a new unit. i hope so :D
 
SFStateStudent said:
you might want to NOT purchase one from the internet CL or eB
Click to expand...

That's kind of a bad sweeping statement. While of course there is a chance that iPhones on Craigslist or eBay would be stolen, it's an incredibly small fraction. Obviously I don't have numbers to back it up, just mainly faith in humanity.
 
SFStateStudent said:
+2 ^^^ That's one of the funniest stories I've ever heard....:D

Hey Doc, you might want to NOT purchase one from the internet CL or eB, if you are concerned about the chances that it might be stolen. Maybe if you can find a refurb at a reasonable price via AT&T, that's the route I would go....
Click to expand...


I've tried three AT&T stores and two apple stores

they want to charge me $500+ for an Iphone :(

I don't need a new phone, I just need one that works
 
Dr. Cabrera said:
I've tried three AT&T stores and two apple stores

they want to charge me $500+ for an Iphone :(
Click to expand...

and how much have you seen from CL or eBay for under $400. You might find a semi-deal on either but most prices i have seen are clos enough to $500 anyways. If thats the case why not just get a temp phone(something AT&T used say from CL) and get the new iphone in JUNe.
 
kicko said:
and how much have you seen from CL or eBay for under $400. You might find a semi-deal on either but most prices i have seen are clos enough to $500 anyways. If thats the case why not just get a temp phone(something AT&T used say from CL) and get the new iphone in JUNe.
Click to expand...

I'm using a temp sony ericsson at the moment.

I don't want to rely on a rumor of a new phone

I am currently using my palm pilot for programs like epocrates/dynamed/etc medical programs, but it was so much easier on the iphone

i may end up buying a cracked screen iphone and replacing the screen myself
 
And keep looking for your old iPhone's SN as you may come across it on eBay or Craigslist.
 
If I buy it from Craigslist, and the serial number shows as valid, does that mean ATT will give me warrenty service on the phone?

- Even if I don't have "Iphone" Service with AT&T?
- Will they care that the phone was originally sold/activated by someone else?



dave006 said:
Not really a good way for you to determine the history of an original iPhone or the iPhone 3G. The best you can do is to check the warranty status on the Apple site by asking the seller for the serial number.

Apple Warranty Status.... https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do


Dave
Click to expand...
 
Probably the only way of knowing is the serial number... but if you report a stolen iPhone to Apple or something, I wonder if they would stop the warranty information or put some kind of note on it saying it was reported stolen?
 
Wouldnt the original owner just use the IMEI number to have the phone blocked, because im sure AT&T or O2 depending would store that info and have the phone blocked?!
 
You will know if it is stolen as soon as you plug the phone into your computer. If it is stolen then a midget will jump out of your computer and kick your arse with the iPhone and then turn you into app! :cool: seriously!!
 
Dr. Cabrera said:
Hey guys my Iphone was stolen about 1.5 weeks ago and I have been searching ebay and Craigslist for a viable replacement.

If I find a person selling an Iphone for a good price, how can I verify that the Iphone is not stolen ?

(I hope the title is not too misleading)
Click to expand...


What if it's ur stolen iPhone??
 
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