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verizon iPhone off craigslist - is this fishy?

E

eyespii

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 8, 2008
372
0
I'm planning to buy a verizon iPhone 5 off a local seller here. He says that he got the iPhone 5 as a warranty replacement for his 4s, and that apple is letting him keep it. Does this sound legit? He's got the box and cables and everything, but doesn't have official proof or an email or anything saying so.

Also - if I do meet and purchase the phone and activate it on the spot, can the seller still report it as "stolen" afterwards? I've read some horror stories on the web about sellers reporting their phone "stolen", and then getting warranty replacements, leaving the buyer with a useless blacklisted phone.

Thanks for the advice!
 
I think the safest thing would be to ask for the serial number and call Apple and ask for the history on it. If he got it as a warranty replacement, there are probably notes on the serial number.

Or you could meet at an Apple store when you buy it and have them confirm it there. Preferably the one where he got the replacement from.

The only thing that sounds odd to me is that they'd give him an iPhone 5 as a replacement for his 4S when there are so many 4S's left and so few 5's.
 
There is no way Apple would replace an iPhone 4s with a iPhone 5. Let alone let him keep the 4s, that is a load of bull. I call it a scam and if you proceed with the offer you will most likely run into problems down the road.
 
I'd recommend avoiding this deal but if you are really going for it, meet him at a retail (NOT authorized reseller) Verizon store and have Verizon verify that the ESN is clean for you. If it is clean you should be good to go but also have them verify that the phone wasn't reported stolen by anyone in their system.

Again, I would advise against the deal but if you have to, at least get Verizon to sign off the phone for you.
 
mateo124 said:
There is no way Apple would replace an iPhone 4s with a iPhone 5. Let alone let him keep the 4s, that is a load of bull. I call it a scam and if you proceed with the offer you will most likely run into problems down the road.
Click to expand...

I agree. It's a bunch of bs.
If he started the lies from the beginning I wouldn't trust anything he tells you or tries to sell you.
 
iPhone1 said:
I'd recommend avoiding this deal but if you are really going for it, meet him at a retail (NOT authorized reseller) Verizon store and have Verizon verify that the ESN is clean for you. If it is clean you should be good to go but also have them verify that the phone wasn't reported stolen by anyone in their system.

Again, I would advise against the deal but if you have to, at least get Verizon to sign off the phone for you.
Click to expand...

I believe that the iPhone 5 on Verizon does not have an ESN to tether with a person's account. It uses a nano SIM, like AT&T, and comes unlocked out of the box. OP, definitely check the serial number out on Apple's website or go to an Apple Store for mor info on it. Personally, it sounds too fishy for me to consider, especially if its a deal too good to be true. Sent from my iPhone 5.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds a bit strange for sure, but I guess not entirely implausible. What about the second part though - if I activate the phone at the time of the sale, is there any way the seller can call in to report it lost later?
 
eyespii said:
Thanks for the replies everyone. It sounds a bit strange for sure, but I guess not entirely implausible. What about the second part though - if I activate the phone at the time of the sale, is there any way the seller can call in to report it lost later?
Click to expand...

In reality, anytime you buy something from another person, they can always report it lost or stolen, especially with no proof of sale. Now if the seller stole the phone, it likely has been reported already to the police, Apple, etc. This could easily be a phone stolen on delivery, stolen by delivery driver, stolen while in shipment, stolen from store, stolen from person leaving store and so on.
 
eyespii said:
I'm planning to buy a verizon iPhone 5 off a local seller here. He says that he got the iPhone 5 as a warranty replacement for his 4s, and that apple is letting him keep it. Does this sound legit? He's got the box and cables and everything, but doesn't have official proof or an email or anything saying so.

Also - if I do meet and purchase the phone and activate it on the spot, can the seller still report it as "stolen" afterwards? I've read some horror stories on the web about sellers reporting their phone "stolen", and then getting warranty replacements, leaving the buyer with a useless blacklisted phone.

Thanks for the advice!
Click to expand...

Definitely sounds sketchy to me. The 4S is still available now so there's no way Apple would replace his phone with a 5. I'm guessing the 5 he has was stolen, and he's trying to profit from it.
 
The only time Apple replaced an older phone with the current model was when they were low on stock of the white iPhone 4 in 16gb.. (maybe 32, also) when they sent out a memo to stores saying not to make customers wait to have them ordered but rather give them 4S's instead.
 
Minhimalism said:
The only time Apple replaced an older phone with the current model was when they were low on stock of the white iPhone 4 in 16gb.. (maybe 32, also) when they sent out a memo to stores saying not to make customers wait to have them ordered but rather give them 4S's instead.
Click to expand...

And then let them keep the old iphone that they're replacing it with?:D
 
eyespii said:
I'm planning to buy a verizon iPhone 5 off a local seller here. He says that he got the iPhone 5 as a warranty replacement for his 4s, and that apple is letting him keep it. Does this sound legit? He's got the box and cables and everything, but doesn't have official proof or an email or anything saying so.

Also - if I do meet and purchase the phone and activate it on the spot, can the seller still report it as "stolen" afterwards? I've read some horror stories on the web about sellers reporting their phone "stolen", and then getting warranty replacements, leaving the buyer with a useless blacklisted phone.

Thanks for the advice!
Click to expand...

sounds like a scam.
how much is he selling it for?

meet him at an apple store.
 
He was selling a 32gb VZW with original box/cable/accessories for $700. He was willing to meet at verizon but was "unable" to get to the apple store after I asked him.
 
Just leave it and move on, Apple doesn't give an iPhone 5 as a replacements for an iPhone 4S Idc what he says, they won't do it. And even if they did (and they don't) they sure as hell wouldn't let him keep the 4S.

It's a scam, move on.
 
haha he almost got you, you would have had a semi useless iPhone 5 and he would have had your money. They don't replace it with the next model anymore. They did it with the 4S when some stores were short on 4's but then word got out and they quickly shut the whole thing down.
 
Apple would not replace a 4s with a 5 , this is BS. Avoid this guy at all costs.

If he isn't willing to meet you at a local Apple store, then this is further proof that he is trying to avoid being caught out.
 
Dont do it. An acquaintance bought a Verizon iphone 5 on craigslist, activated it on his line. Seller later reported it stolen (this was several days after he activated it). So now he is out the money and stuck with an ipod touch. Im not sure he can use it on a different network. Buy from Apple directly, I know it requires patience, :p what a concept.
 
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