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Why didn't Att know it was stolen when they checked it?

or the person waited til they made the sale and everything worked, then reported it as stolen. The guy seems like a scumbag, and it's a shame this is what the world is coming to.
 
Bummer....if you we're willing to spend $500 bucks on CL, how come you just didn't go to AT&T? Maybe you can jailbreak it and can get it going again? If not, you might have an expensive iPod and web browser.
 
Bummer....if you we're willing to spend $500 bucks on CL, how come you just didn't go to AT&T? Maybe you can jailbreak it and can get it going again? If not, you might have an expensive iPod and web browser.

Unlock and sell it for use abroad.
 
Well I would notify the police department and inform them of the stolen property. I may suggest either flagging his other items as a scam, or replying to his posting using another phone number or email, for a meeting and have the police there to either have him arrested or present to address the problem. You also need to have a copy of the listing so you can prove that it was falsely represented. The police should be involved because the item in question was over $20 value. If all else fails I would find out as much information about the seller and lawyer up.

Lawyer up for $500? Lol.

The police would most likely do nothing.
 
When you buy through cl you should take into account the risk... even buying a phone with the box is a risk... it may have been stolen from a shop... however I always do this when buying on CL... go to the meeting... if I feel something shady I give up otherwise go through... that's it! better luck next time!
PS: has nobody tried to destroy the banned phone (eg put it in water) and go to the apple store and pay for a replacement?
 
i didn't read all this, so if it's already mentioned, please disregard.

I've bought a couple iphones on cl. If you're meeting at at&t, it's NOT to check that it works. you're asking them to verify (via driver's license) that the phone you have is listed as being owned by the person in the store with you. you know, on their account.

they could still blacklist it afterwards, but at least you're not buying a phone that's stolen.
 
When you buy through cl you should take into account the risk... even buying a phone with the box is a risk... it may have been stolen from a shop... however I always do this when buying on CL... go to the meeting... if I feel something shady I give up otherwise go through... that's it! better luck next time!
PS: has nobody tried to destroy the banned phone (eg put it in water) and go to the apple store and pay for a replacement?

Yes people have done it. In this case the op will have to spend even more money. It's a lesson learnt. If you are not street smart don't deal with CL. I sold a ps3 2 weeks ago, I met the buyer somewhere and he looked at it and paid for it. There was no way he could tell if it worked. Likewise I bought and Xbox and took the sellers word that it worked. It did. It was a 100 bucks and an amount I could afford to loose.

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i didn't read all this, so if it's already mentioned, please disregard.

I've bought a couple iphones on cl. If you're meeting at at&t, it's NOT to check that it works. you're asking them to verify (via driver's license) that the phone you have is listed as being owned by the person in the store with you. you know, on their account.

they could still blacklist it afterwards, but at least you're not buying a phone that's stolen.

I dont think Att will do that. It's not their job. They would rather you buy a new one from them. In this case the phone worked and the seller could still report it stolen later.
 
Receipt? I don't even have the receipt to the phone I bought last month. I understand your position though. For me CL is a hobby business so I can't demand receipts as 99 percent won't have one.

If you got it at the apple store they should be able to get it for you. Actually, if you bought it with a credit card, most stores should be able to reprint it for you. It's a pretty common practice. I always have mine emailed. Like I said, if you were the one selling me the phone, I'd respectfully decline buying if you can't produce a receipt. I'd rather pay the extra MAYBE $50 for the device that I can be almost certain isn't stolen.

For the record, I have purchased three iPhones over the years on Craigslist (one iPhone 4 AT&T, one iPhone 4 Verizon, and one iPhone 5 Verizon, though the latter was technically a trade, the principle was the same). Ask for a receipt. You'd be surprised how many people can produce one. I think your 99 percent is a gross overstatement. But, if you are comfortable sans receipt, a box with marching imei is a pretty safe bet too.
 
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If you got it at the apple store they should be able to get it for you. Actually, if you bought it with a credit card, most stores should be able to reprint it for you. It's a pretty common practice. I always have mine emailed. Like I said, if you were the one selling me the phone, I'd respectfully decline buying if you can't produce a receipt. I'd rather pay the extra MAYBE $50 for the device that I can be almost certain isn't stolen.

For the record, I have purchased three iPhones over the years on Craigslist (one iPhone 4 AT&T, one iPhone 4 Verizon, and one iPhone 5 Verizon, though the latter was technically a trade, the principle was the same). Ask for a receipt. You'd be surprised how many people can produce one. I think your 99 percent is a gross overstatement. But, if you are comfortable sans receipt, a box with marching imei is a pretty safe bet too.

That wont work for me as I'm buying a whole lot of phones.
 
That wont work for me as I'm buying a whole lot of phones.

I was just speaking in general, bud. You know, for the vast majority of people who don't buy handfuls of phones on Craigslist. :)

I would assume you buy these to resell, so you're buying them super cheap with some faults, yes? Assuming you have a logical and working business plan you have already factored in what your potential loss is on each purchase. That is to say, worst case scenario, how much you can dump the hardware that turned out to be banned IMEI.
 
My advice would be to not trust this seller. It's obvious what kind of dealings he is involved in and if he is on probation then that's just another reason not to trust him.


Print out a copy of receipts, your messages with the seller, the phone, and a bank statement of the purchase, and any information you have on the seller from craigslist. Take it straight to the police with the phone. Don't waste more time.

Do not try to save money by skimping out and buying a cheaper iphone like this, only buy from reputable and honest sellers on ebay who have good ratings, avoid random craigslist items if they are expensive. Usually with items like this, it's better to spend a little extra to get the warranty and piece of mind, or buy from sellers who include this things and can provide invoices, original boxes and warranty.

They should be able to get your money back but it will take some time, stop being silly and greedy, I understand your upset about the money but you should go straight to the police. They probably don't care because you were silly enough to give $500 to a private seller you knew nothing about. Go to the police immediately.

Don't try and sell it overseas or you could be liable for selling a stolen phone and the police will immediately drop your report.
 
I was just speaking in general, bud. You know, for the vast majority of people who don't buy handfuls of phones on Craigslist. :)

I would assume you buy these to resell, so you're buying them super cheap with some faults, yes? Assuming you have a logical and working business plan you have already factored in what your potential loss is on each purchase. That is to say, worst case scenario, how much you can dump the hardware that turned out to be banned IMEI.

Yes I only buy them cheap. I test them out as much as I can. And in the case that I get a bad one, I will still be able to sell it as damaged at cost or little profit. Eg instead of $100 I may make $10. The only bad phone I bought was a 5 that had been blocked. It took place on a military post. I reported it to the military police who pretty much told me to suck it. Lol. I wont be buying iPhone fives till the 5s is released.
 
I bought the phone on cl because my sons contract was not up and he could not get an upgrade. I have bought several other phones and even sold a few. I am def a native of the USA. My husband and both sons all USMC. I was tired from working last night with my typing. It was really nice of AT&T to upgrade him after all that has happened. I to feel that the police are not going to do anything. I could be wrong but I would rather try to sell overseas then have it sit on a shelf at the station or someone at the station use it as an iPod. I sent my imie number to someone that said they could look it up to see why it was blocked. If it was stolen then I will give it to the cops. If not then I will try to sell. I most definitely learned my lesson. To sell overseas it needs to be unlocked??
 
I bought the phone on cl because my sons contract was not up and he could not get an upgrade. I have bought several other phones and even sold a few. I am def a native of the USA. My husband and both sons all USMC. I was tired from working last night with my typing. It was really nice of AT&T to upgrade him after all that has happened. I to feel that the police are not going to do anything. I could be wrong but I would rather try to sell overseas then have it sit on a shelf at the station or someone at the station use it as an iPod. I sent my imie number to someone that said they could look it up to see why it was blocked. If it was stolen then I will give it to the cops. If not then I will try to sell. I most definitely learned my lesson. To sell overseas it needs to be unlocked??

Your trying to sell a stolen device overseas ? Seriously. Do not post this here, your just as bad as the person who sold it to you. I hope you get caught and fined.
 
Your trying to sell a stolen device overseas ? Seriously. Do not post this here, your just as bad as the person who sold it to you. I hope you get caught and fined.

In case you didn't read my whole post I said I was getting the imie checked to see if it is stolen!! If it is not I would sell it. If it IS I would give to police. You r the reason I stay away from most forums. Thanks for showing your nice side.
 
Well im sorry to hear you were swindled but thats the risk you take buying used phones. Its happened to the best of us. It has happened to me luckily on ebay they will usually work way harder to get you a refund i have in every case. I never buy off graigslist its way more seedly and the liklihood of being screwed is way higher with no recourse. Ill stick to ebay. My inner breaking bad is tell me to have you meet him to buy the week wacker her has for sale and beating him over the head with the bricked iphone. But flagging him and calling the police is probably better.
 
yes I contacted him and he said he would give me back my money and asked me not to call the police as he was on probation and would go to jail. I felt sorry for him and he said he would give me back my money tomorrow, well he has not answered any texts or phone calls from me since Sunday. I do not think he is going to follow thru. He said he bought it from some girl. I know he works for market computer shows, and that he is 19. He seemed like a very nice guy.

Very nice people don't go to jail, get on probation, and start selling stolen stuff right afterward.
 
In case you didn't read my whole post I said I was getting the imie checked to see if it is stolen!! If it is not I would sell it. If it IS I would give to police. You r the reason I stay away from most forums. Thanks for showing your nice side.

I did read your post, and I apologise if I came off as rude, it wasn't my intention. I do however get frustrated when you complain about your situation then fail to do what you know needs to be done and that is go down and speak to the police and bring the phone to them.

Before you even get concerned with selling the phone, you should be contacting the police, because you still believe this seller is fraudulent and at the very least you need to report him. Do the right thing man, and maybe you'll be rewarded and get your money back.

Look man, I really do hope you get your money back, I just don't think you should try and sell the product which you know to be blocked and is more than likely a stolen product.

Good luck and I hope you do the right thing.
 
Thanks, no offense taking. My husband responded to another add he has up with his work phone and the kid replied that his old phone is broken and to call on another number to get more info on the iPhone he has for sale. If I take this info to the police will they look into it? My husband wants to set up a meeting to buy the phone and have a cop nearby.
 
Thanks, no offense taking. My husband responded to another add he has up with his work phone and the kid replied that his old phone is broken and to call on another number to get more info on the iPhone he has for sale. If I take this info to the police will they look into it? My husband wants to set up a meeting to buy the phone and have a cop nearby.

arrange a meet, but post on here when and what time, the cops will see it on here and attend
 
Your experience is yet one more reason why I refer to it as crookslist.

I agree man, I've heard so many horror stories. Is the bargain really worth it?

Man, I came to terms with buying my phone outright from a reputable dealer a long time ago and am at peace with paying the extra $100 - $150
 
why do people use craigslist?


ive never gone anywhere near it i thought perhaps it was a calculated risk people who wanted to buy second-hand or cheaper products would take.

but for $500 i would have gone straight into the apple site.


its not the first time i read people getting scammed in that site i have the impression its a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

Never ever had a problem with any of my transactions on Craigslist.
 
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