Sometimes you have to admire scams for their attention to detail and how well they’re executed, and this latest iPhone hustle is one of those. The scammers buy old, seemingly broken iPhones (in most cases, it’s only the touch screen that’s faulty), replace the screen, case and internal rib cage, then repackage it up in original (or sometimes faked) retail packaging to sell to consumers, How To Arena reveals.
More than that though, as I alluded to at the beginning, the level of detail they go in some cases into is pretty amazing. Often, a non-legit serial and IMEI number is printed on a blank SIM tray, and they make sure to plasticize all the packaging so it’s exactly like a new, unopened one.
This is a lucrative business, and the best way to avoid contributing to it is to buy your iPhone only from an Apple Store or the shop of your chosen carrier. If you’re wondering whether your iPhone is really second hand, follow this guide from How To Arena:
1) match IMEI number of your iOS device with the box it came with. IMEI number of your device is also located on the back of your iPhone’s box (bottom left corner). 2) You should be the one to activate your iPhone, if your iPhone is already activated then it’s not a new iPhone. 3) You can check the SIM tray but it is highly likely that it would be carrying same IMEI and Serial number as your iPhone.
