Hi all,
I'm looking for a factory unlocked iPhone 4, so I search for it on eBay. By entering the search term "iphone 4 factory unlocked," you can easily see many listings of it. But I especially notice a (new) way of selling iPhone 4. Let me tell you some points that make me doubt that this is fraud.
1) The sellers I'm talking about are from UK. They require buyer to buy at least 2 or 3 iPhones at a time. But they list their items under MANY other eBay seller accounts, not their own account. And their listings only last for a short time (like 3-24 hours).
For example, here is an eBay listing of iPhone 4, under an account of a pharmacy store:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
This seller has listed iPhone 4 under many different eBay seller accounts.
2) They only accept American Express, not PayPal. I asked them why, and they haven't answer me.
3) Moreover, they can't be reached by "Ask seller a question" function of eBay. You can only contact them via their email address.
4) When I ask them for some information, they seem to reply me in a template. For instance, I've asked 5 sellers some questions, and their answers are similar. Here is their original text:
Hi,
All phones are 100% original from Apple, Brand New , factory unlocked
, in sealed boxes , with all standard accessories included .
Each phone have 1(one) year international Apple Care warranty . The
warranty is valid once you activate the phone.
You can use the phones with any sim card in any country. I have both
colors : black and white .
I bought the phones from Apple Factory Foxconn and also this is the
reason why i have low prices.
I can ship anywhere with UPS , DHL or FedEx with Air Express
services(24h to 48h delivery) with tracking number. The delivery is
free and there are no customs taxes(i can send as a gift or put a low
value i can even write that i send shoes or cloths). I ship from UK.
I have more than 20 phones. The MINIMUM order is 3 phones .
Also i have a special offer : Buy 5 phones and get 1 FREE
I have them in stock and ready to be delivered.
Let me know how many phones do you want to buy so we can talk about payment .
Thanks !
5) Moreover, when I asked them "Will the phone be activated automatically when I insert the SIM card?" they ignore this question. And instead of answering me, they give me a form which requires me to provide my information, like name, address, phone number, etc.
6) They bought the iPhones 4 directly from Foxconn in China, so they have the low price.
7) The way the transaction works is so weird, too. Let me show you sellers' original text:
Hi,
The total price for 3 Apple iPhone 4 32GB is 2100 USD.
We will close the deal through eBay Buyer/Seller Protection Program. In this way we are both protected.
I will explain you how it works:
eBay will contact us (seller and buyer) with payment and delivery instructions. You will have to send the money to eBay. Once they have your payment, eBay will notify me to start the delivery (it will take 24h to 48h to receive the package) and i will give you a tracking number after is done.
After you receive the phones , you have 7 days to inspect them to see if they are original , new , unlocked , working ...etc.
If you are satisfied , you will notify eBay that everything is OK and they will send me the money .
If you are not satisfied, send them back at my costs and eBay will cancel our transaction and you will get your money back in 24 hours.
Let me know if you are interested because i need some details from you in order to start this transaction .
Thanks
UPDATE!
I received an email from invoice@ebay-buyer-protection-program.com, which requires me to send money to them via Moneygram. Finally, I found that it is a scam. It's not eBay's email domain. So, beware.
I'm looking for a factory unlocked iPhone 4, so I search for it on eBay. By entering the search term "iphone 4 factory unlocked," you can easily see many listings of it. But I especially notice a (new) way of selling iPhone 4. Let me tell you some points that make me doubt that this is fraud.
1) The sellers I'm talking about are from UK. They require buyer to buy at least 2 or 3 iPhones at a time. But they list their items under MANY other eBay seller accounts, not their own account. And their listings only last for a short time (like 3-24 hours).
For example, here is an eBay listing of iPhone 4, under an account of a pharmacy store:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
This seller has listed iPhone 4 under many different eBay seller accounts.
2) They only accept American Express, not PayPal. I asked them why, and they haven't answer me.
3) Moreover, they can't be reached by "Ask seller a question" function of eBay. You can only contact them via their email address.
4) When I ask them for some information, they seem to reply me in a template. For instance, I've asked 5 sellers some questions, and their answers are similar. Here is their original text:
Hi,
All phones are 100% original from Apple, Brand New , factory unlocked
, in sealed boxes , with all standard accessories included .
Each phone have 1(one) year international Apple Care warranty . The
warranty is valid once you activate the phone.
You can use the phones with any sim card in any country. I have both
colors : black and white .
I bought the phones from Apple Factory Foxconn and also this is the
reason why i have low prices.
I can ship anywhere with UPS , DHL or FedEx with Air Express
services(24h to 48h delivery) with tracking number. The delivery is
free and there are no customs taxes(i can send as a gift or put a low
value i can even write that i send shoes or cloths). I ship from UK.
I have more than 20 phones. The MINIMUM order is 3 phones .
Also i have a special offer : Buy 5 phones and get 1 FREE
I have them in stock and ready to be delivered.
Let me know how many phones do you want to buy so we can talk about payment .
Thanks !
5) Moreover, when I asked them "Will the phone be activated automatically when I insert the SIM card?" they ignore this question. And instead of answering me, they give me a form which requires me to provide my information, like name, address, phone number, etc.
6) They bought the iPhones 4 directly from Foxconn in China, so they have the low price.
7) The way the transaction works is so weird, too. Let me show you sellers' original text:
Hi,
The total price for 3 Apple iPhone 4 32GB is 2100 USD.
We will close the deal through eBay Buyer/Seller Protection Program. In this way we are both protected.
I will explain you how it works:
eBay will contact us (seller and buyer) with payment and delivery instructions. You will have to send the money to eBay. Once they have your payment, eBay will notify me to start the delivery (it will take 24h to 48h to receive the package) and i will give you a tracking number after is done.
After you receive the phones , you have 7 days to inspect them to see if they are original , new , unlocked , working ...etc.
If you are satisfied , you will notify eBay that everything is OK and they will send me the money .
If you are not satisfied, send them back at my costs and eBay will cancel our transaction and you will get your money back in 24 hours.
Let me know if you are interested because i need some details from you in order to start this transaction .
Thanks
UPDATE!
I received an email from invoice@ebay-buyer-protection-program.com, which requires me to send money to them via Moneygram. Finally, I found that it is a scam. It's not eBay's email domain. So, beware.
