Second hand sale, buyer trying to scam me?

[InfernoUk]

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice, ive sold my 7 Plus today and the buyer is reporting to me that the device is activation locked.

This is plausible as accidents happen, i checked my find my iphone and the device was removed, and they sent me a pic of the activation lock screen and the email shown isnt mine (i dont own a yahoo address)

So im a little lost, my though perhaps is that they have a stolen iphone and have bought mine, are sending me pics of the stolen one, and are going to try and have me take back a stolen iphone and claim my good one was locked.

Here is the pic they sent:

so that isnt my email im 100% sure of that, does that mean it has to be a scam? or could something actually be wrong here? is there a way i can 100% verify my phone WASNT activation locked?

Thanks for the advice here its a tricky situation as i dont want to be conned and on the flip side dont want someone turning up at my work wanting their money

 

[angelrivz]

call Apple support and give them your serial number of your old device. If they look it up it will tell them what Apple ID is connected to it.

Second thing is- did you buy your old phone off of someone or brand new? If it was used before you it could be there Apple ID but that’s not likely

 

[InfernoUk]

call Apple support and give them your serial number of your old device. If they look it up it will tell them what Apple ID is connected to it.

Second thing is- did you buy your old phone off of someone or brand new? If it was used before you it could be there Apple ID but that’s not likely

phone was bought brand new from an apple store so its not that, ill call apple

 

[bhodinut]

I wiped my iPhone 7 a month ago and was doing a fresh install. Upon activation, it gave me a locked by z******@yahoo.com message. Not my address. Never used yahoo.com. There seems to be an iOS bug that I've seen reported via a Google search that does this. I finally had to head to the Apple store with my receipt to get the phone unlocked. Kind of scary IMHO.

 

[InfernoUk]

I wiped my iPhone 7 a month ago and was doing a fresh install. Upon activation, it gave me a locked by z******@yahoo.com message. Not my address. Never used yahoo.com. There seems to be an iOS bug that I've seen reported via a Google search that does this. I finally had to head to the Apple store with my receipt to get the phone unlocked. Kind of scary IMHO.

i just got off the phone with apple and they said it isnt activation locked on their end and if its not in my icloud it isnt locked. so as far as im concerned it must be a scam? not much I can do for the buyer as im not going to go to an apple store with them?

 

[redb]

I wiped my iPhone 7 a month ago and was doing a fresh install. Upon activation, it gave me a locked by z******@yahoo.com message. Not my address. Never used yahoo.com. There seems to be an iOS bug that I've seen reported via a Google search that does this. I finally had to head to the Apple store with my receipt to get the phone unlocked. Kind of scary IMHO.

It happened to me one year ago. Never ever used yahoo emails, I had to send to apple my receipt and they unlocked the phone.
Its an apple fault, probably they had some problems with the activation database.
Call apple and ask them to solve the problem they caused, they know this problem very well.

 

[noobinator]

Where did you sell it? I've read stories of this happening before.

I wonder how you can verify the screenshot they are showing you is the same IMEI as the phone you sent? I'd still be concerned that they just set it up and used their ID then claimed that ID in the screenshot isn't theirs.

 

[irod87]

My thought would be to try and find the serial number of your old phone make sure the phone they are saying is locked is the one you sold them. Seems like they are trying to scam you.

 

[1981d]

Is there any harm in forwarding them the Apple receipt from the purchase, so they can go to Apple?

Seems like a scam to me tho, hope this wasn’t an eBay sale.

 

[InfernoUk]

It happened to me one year ago. Never ever used yahoo emails, I had to send to apple my receipt and they unlocked the phone.
Its an apple fault, probably they had some problems with the activation database.
Call apple and ask them to solve the problem they caused, they know this problem very well.

so i need to give my receipt to the new owner?

Where did you sell it? I've read stories of this happening before.

I wonder how you can verify the screenshot they are showing you is the same IMEI as the phone you sent? I'd still be concerned that they just set it up and used their ID then claimed that ID in the screenshot isn't theirs.

and yeah what youve said is my thought process on the situation

My thought would be to try and find the serial number of your old phone make sure the phone they are saying is locked is the one you sold them. Seems like they are trying to scam you.

well i have the serial and imei, i cant really confirm it unless im in person and im not really wanting to meet a scammer face to face again

 

[Trash Can]

I wiped my iPhone 7 a month ago and was doing a fresh install. Upon activation, it gave me a locked by z******@yahoo.com message. Not my address. Never used yahoo.com. There seems to be an iOS bug that I've seen reported via a Google search that does this. I finally had to head to the Apple store with my receipt to get the phone unlocked. Kind of scary IMHO.

Same thing happened to me a year ago with my 6S Plus. Like you, only way to get it unlocked was to take it to an Apple Store with my receipt.

 

[InfernoUk]

Is there any harm in forwarding them the Apple receipt from the purchase, so they can go to Apple?

Seems like a scam to me tho, hope this wasn’t an eBay sale.

as long as the receipt doesnt have personal details, and it was a face to face gumtree sale in cash, so im technically fine and they may have a bricked phone for all i know...or its a scam

 

[chabig]

I don't see why you think you're being scammed. You've got the cash in hand. Explain to the buyer that the phone isn't locked and let him deal with it. Help him all you want but don't give him his money back.

 

[noobinator]

Maybe just try asking them to meet up at an Apple store. Tell him you will bring your receipt and get Apple to help out once they verify the IMEI and all that. I'd try this even if you don't want to go. Most scammers will disappear fast when you want to meet up and have the issue legitimately fixed.

 

[redb]

so i need to give my receipt to the new owner?

You just need to call apple explaining the problem and then send them the receipt.
It’s an activation bug (let me say database mess...) and apple knows it very well.
Just google a bit if you don’t trust this version.

 

[bigjnyc]

Isn't there a way to see the imei number from the lock screen on a locked phone? I seem to remember a little information i in the bottom right corner or something like that..... you would have to ask the buyer to send you a video because in a picture they can easily just take a picture of the locked phone....... Other than that I recommend doing what noobinator suggested and have them meet you in an apple store with the phone and your receipt. If it's the right phone then Apple should help, if its a different phone I doubt they will show up and they will probably drop it.

 

[HallStevenson]

I don't see why you think you're being scammed. You've got the cash in hand. Explain to the buyer that the phone isn't locked and let him deal with it. Help him all you want but don't give him his money back.

Depending on where the phone was sold, some will back the buyer. Or, with PayPal, if the buyer files a claim or makes a dispute, PayPal can pull the money back out of your account. In this particular instance, the buyer has little to no recourse.
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Isn't there a way to see the imei number from the lock screen on a locked phone? I seem to remember a little information i in the bottom right corner or something like that..... you would have to ask the buyer to send you a video because in a picture they can easily just take a picture of the locked phone...

After a phone is reset and restarted, when it gets to the "Hello...." screen, just set it down and wait. I don't know how long it takes, but you'll eventually get the little "i" button that you tap and get the IMEI and so on. As you say, they'd have to video the process to prove it's legit, otherwise, they'd sent a screenshot of his (old) phone and claim it's the one locked.

 

[C DM]

Isn't there a way to see the imei number from the lock screen on a locked phone? I seem to remember a little information i in the bottom right corner or something like that..... you would have to ask the buyer to send you a video because in a picture they can easily just take a picture of the locked phone....... Other than that I recommend doing what noobinator suggested and have them meet you in an apple store with the phone and your receipt. If it's the right phone then Apple should help, if its a different phone I doubt they will show up and they will probably drop it.

I recall there being some sort of information in/on the SIM tray as well.

 

[InfernoUk]

hey guys, hes going to the apple store it was bought from tomorrow and ive sent him a PDF of the receipt and offered to take a call if they need to verify anything.

Seems like a legit issue having googled around, but i wont take it back incase there was tampering. Just co operate with getting apple to sort it.

 

[Cmd-Z]

Hi guys,

Looking for some advice, ive sold my 7 Plus today and the buyer is reporting to me that the device is activation locked.

This is plausible as accidents happen, i checked my find my iphone and the device was removed, and they sent me a pic of the activation lock screen and the email shown isnt mine (i dont own a yahoo address)

Please refer to this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-sold-verizon-iphone-x.2086551/#post-25428255

And this one:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...wrong-apple-ids.2004550/page-17#post-24108001

I had this happen and the front-line Apple people you deal with probably aren't aware of this issue, you need to escalate this higher up with Apple. YOU (not buyer) will need to provide Apple with your proof of purchase. Ultimately they referred my case to an engineering team who unlocked the phone, twice as it turns out since it re-locked again. The second unlocking fixed my issue and was able to successfully sell my iPhone.