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Scammed on CL - Out a (functional) 5S - where to next?

R

runningtowin

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 2, 2011
81
0
I purchased an iPhone 5S on Craigslist to replace one I had broken. The price was high without being extreme, and the product looked great. I used it for nearly a month before it was reported lost and it's now functionally useless to me.

Morality aside (believe me, I've gotten the lectures about stolen property, etc, I just needed a phone) - what should I do next? I love the 5S, probably even more so than a larger 6, but the clock is ticking on not having a phone in 2014. Any advice? Buy a dirt cheap 4 and wait for the 6? Get a 5S from Craigslist? From Apple?

Thanks!
 
runningtowin said:
I purchased an iPhone 5S on Craigslist to replace one I had broken. The price was high without being extreme, and the product looked great. I used it for nearly a month before it was reported lost and it's now functionally useless to me.

Morality aside (believe me, I've gotten the lectures about stolen property, etc, I just needed a phone) - what should I do next? I love the 5S, probably even more so than a larger 6, but the clock is ticking on not having a phone in 2014. Any advice? Buy a dirt cheap 4 and wait for the 6? Get a 5S from Craigslist? From Apple?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Check out the Apple refurbs they always have some and then get the 6 when it comes out in Sept.
 
runningtowin said:
I purchased an iPhone 5S on Craigslist to replace one I had broken. The price was high without being extreme, and the product looked great. I used it for nearly a month before it was reported lost and it's now functionally useless to me.

Morality aside (believe me, I've gotten the lectures about stolen property, etc, I just needed a phone) - what should I do next? I love the 5S, probably even more so than a larger 6, but the clock is ticking on not having a phone in 2014. Any advice? Buy a dirt cheap 4 and wait for the 6? Get a 5S from Craigslist? From Apple?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

What carrier was the 5s attached to? Amazing that you are still willing to buy another from craigslist.
 
Personally I'd sell the iPhone 5S on eBay to recoup some of your loss. Acknowledging to potential buyers that it's blocked of course. In the meantime I'd buy a used 4S until the 6 comes out. At this point it's only two months away. Selling the blocked 5S on eBay would probably actually net you enough money for a 4S.
 
I assume that it was rendered useless via an iCloud lock? If that's the case, how could the OP have been using it for a month before this happened? It was logged into the owner's iCloud account all this time and the OP didn't notice?
 
How were you able to use the phone for a month before it was black listed?


runningtowin said:
I purchased an iPhone 5S on Craigslist to replace one I had broken. The price was high without being extreme, and the product looked great. I used it for nearly a month before it was reported lost and it's now functionally useless to me.

Morality aside (believe me, I've gotten the lectures about stolen property, etc, I just needed a phone) - what should I do next? I love the 5S, probably even more so than a larger 6, but the clock is ticking on not having a phone in 2014. Any advice? Buy a dirt cheap 4 and wait for the 6? Get a 5S from Craigslist? From Apple?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
Obviously iPhone was never icloud blocked because it couldn't be even activated. When it is reported stolen the carrier blocks imei from any USA network so the iPhone still works it just shows no service.
Most people buying iPhones on Craiglist don't realize how risky it actually is because of this carrier imei blacklisting that can happen later.
 
Last edited:
Thats lame. So anybody that sells an iPhone on Craigslist for example can at any time decide to just screw over the buyer and report the phone stolen?

nox5 said:
Obviously iPhone was never icloud blocked because it couldn't be even activated. When it is reported stolen the carrier blocks imei from any USA network so the iPhone still works it just shows no service.
Click to expand...
 
Exactly or simply not pay the bill or cancel contract and not pay etf or report to insurance as lost
 
joshkhaos1 said:
Thats lame. So anybody that sells an iPhone on Craigslist for example can at any time decide to just screw over the buyer and report the phone stolen?
Click to expand...

Yep, that's exactly what happened. All good until one day - reported lost.
 
617aircav said:
What carrier was the 5s attached to? Amazing that you are still willing to buy another from craigslist.
Click to expand...

It's T-Mobile. I'd very much like to *not* go back to CL. But I also need a phone and don't have unlimited cash stores. I actually sold it as-is (i.e. full disclosure that it has an IMEI block) for $390 on Swappa. But it's just so much hassle.

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joshkhaos1 said:
That makes zero sense. Why on earth would someone wait a month or more before reporting a phone stolen?? There should be some type of cutoff date there.
Click to expand...

Well, you'd think so; but because I didn't purchase the phone, even though it's registered to me, it's not my device in the eyes of T-Mobile.

Here's what I can only assume happened: This guy stole it, sold it to me, and finally the person he stole it from reported it lost.
 
If someone absolutely has to buy on Craiglist the price would have to be either very low or/and unlocked iPhone so it can be sold to foreigners after imei gets blocked.
 
runningtowin said:
It's T-Mobile. I'd very much like to *not* go back to CL. But I also need a phone and don't have unlimited cash stores. I actually sold it as-is (i.e. full disclosure that it has an IMEI block) for $390 on Swappa. But it's just so much hassle.

----------



Well, you'd think so; but because I didn't purchase the phone, even though it's registered to me, it's not my device in the eyes of T-Mobile.

Here's what I can only assume happened: This guy stole it, sold it to me, and finally the person he stole it from reported it lost.
Click to expand...


That's the thing though, "and finally". They shouldn't honor that after its been a month. The fact that someone can just arbitrarily decide whenever they want to, to report a phone stolen is not cool.
 
It might have to do with the original owner not paying his bill or etf.
So they close the account and blacklist the phone that was purchased on it. Also if he was still making payments on the phone and stopped paying is another reason why Tmobile will blacklist it etc....
Many different reasons that you never know what will happen when buying used.
Its a big risk.
 
runningtowin said:
It's T-Mobile. I'd very much like to *not* go back to CL. But I also need a phone and don't have unlimited cash stores. I actually sold it as-is (i.e. full disclosure that it has an IMEI block) for $390 on Swappa. But it's just so much hassle.

----------



Well, you'd think so; but because I didn't purchase the phone, even though it's registered to me, it's not my device in the eyes of T-Mobile.

Here's what I can only assume happened: This guy stole it, sold it to me, and finally the person he stole it from reported it lost.
Click to expand...


I keep hearing this happening to people who buy used Tmobile phones. Rumor has it that Tmobile is the only carrier that blocks phones for non payment. Based on this I never buy Tmobile phones on CL, unless there is a sales receipt attached to it.
 
iPhone can still be blocked even with the receipt that shows full price paid. For example it can be reported stolen for insurance money.
 
joshkhaos1 said:
That makes zero sense. Why on earth would someone wait a month or more before reporting a phone stolen?? There should be some type of cutoff date there.
Click to expand...

Some people will sell it for quick cash then reported it lost so that they can get another one by just paying the insurance deductible. I think it's only $175 or something like that. It happened to me before with a phone I bought off someone.
 
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