I was sold fake airpods so what do I do

Hi! I was fooled as well. Same story, its amazing: they work just as well as the originals except some functions like spacial etc. I want to know if at some point: when apple reports this serial number will these fake earphones stop working: because although I was scamed, they work pretty well. Please tell me if I should throw them away or can I hold on to them and they wont die on me! TIA!

Had that literally happen to a friend was sold SEALED in apple AirPods Pro box even had the special cover wrap around AirPods, papers etc, one pod stopped working took to Applestore and he said he’s NEVER seen fake AirPods Pro’s so good. Printing, etc. Said AirPods are a bit more heavy and lid closes and feels different also where it was made be it one said China other said Vietnam. And they just duplicate serial numbers. Smh what a sham. He got em “brand new” from Mercari.

Don’t misunderstand,I am not holding apple responsible here or not asking my money back or replaced airpods.

I know that ship is already sailed.

I just want to make everyone aware that,in every forum, it is mentioned that check authenticity of product by checking the serial numbers and Thats not true anymore.

How does that in any way prove that the item you are checking is genuine?

It's trivial to copy a real serial number and it is even possible to guess them.

[Edited by Moderator]

Same happened to me. They were new in a box with exactly the same shrink wrap and paper pull strip and serial numbers etc that looked totally legit. The serial number was legit according to Apple website and still coved by warranty. Worked perfectly with all software features and menu options showing up in Settings etc. but after 4 months the microphone stopped working so I got an appointment at the Apple Store and was told they were fake and the serial number has many products registered and already had many service requests rejected! Why don’t Apple stop these serials numbers giving positive results when they know they’re being used by fake manufacturers? There is no way for the average consumer to know. Disgraceful.

kiayay Said:

"I was sold fake airpods so what do I do: I bought airpods online and the box was authentic however the airpods within were not and I dont know what to do"

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Troubleshooting Getting Fake AirPods:

A. Request a Return:

Contact the site you purchased these from, and request a return. If purchased off of a site such as eBay or Amazon, the contact them, seeing if the seller can be held accountable, and if you can get your money back.

For reference...

B. Verifying Genuine AirPods:

1. Get the Serial Number: Find the Serial Number of your AirPods - Apple Support
2. Enter the Serial Number here: Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support
3. View the Results: If all shows up as an AirPod, then you are fine. If not, then these are fake, and that is likely why you are getting the issue of connectivity.

I want to point out that the top answer is no longer accurate. I purchased one sealed with a serial that said it was covered by apple support. It actually still says I have support now on my iPhone a few days after reporting it.

I hope this helps or at least pushes apple to fix this as this brings legitimacy to counterfeit products.

I didn’t looked for ultra cheap new deals…I specifically bought used which are m not packed so I can test before I buy.

Met seller in person, tested, confirmed the number, paid fair price for used ones.

There are 100s of listings selling it new for 200-250$ but I avoided my temptation to go for them.

Again, I am not looking for money back,I just want to know what could have done more to confirm the authenticity of product. Beacuse buying used is a thing in world (Just not in apple world anymore due to desirability and cost of the products, counterfeit market is more sophisticated )

If I would have know before that serial numbers can be copied and thats not the thing you can trust,I would have done things differently.

It is still boggling that someone might believe that a complex device can be closely counterfeited, but that some simple serial numbers from legitimate devices can’t be copied from legitimate devices, or the serial number patterns predicted. (Apple has changed how serial numbers are constructed, but that still won’t prevent copying.)

praths wrote:

I understand they can be copied(at-least I know now).But my worry is, when I went to apple service center for repair, they had all the repair history of that device.There were at-least 2 previous attempts to service them (from previous owners i guess)and repair were rejected because they were fake.

So they knew this particular serial number is FAKE and still they didn’t block it or did anything about it.

Which could well be thousands of copies of that serial number were made, and two came in for service.

There’s probably also a real device with that serial number, which can itself still need service.

And what is Apple to do? Post a note telling you that each and every serial number viewed can be copied?

Would adding that possible-to-counterfeit notice on every serial number even help? Somebody getting a “good deal” from a sketchy seller is always going to happen. That’s basically what happens to too many buyers of used (and Activation-Locked, or IMEI-blacklisted) and effectively-if-not-actually lost or stolen iPhone and iPad devices, too. Expensive, real, bricks.

Ask yourself too, would any of this have dissuaded you from your purchase here, or will it dissuade the myriad other folks (that don’t know what you now do now) from their own “good deal”?

Caveat emptor—buyer beware—is a very old phrase for a very old problem, after all.

PS: From other replies, Apple doesn’t shrink-wrap most stuff anymore, and shrink-wrapping machines do exist.

Online sales from individuals and from sketchy retailers can be counterfeit, yes.

You can report this to Apple: Apple - Legal - Counterfeit Questions

If the seller is unavailable or uncooperative about refunds, don’t expect a refund.

I got scammed for fake AirPod max too a week ago.Checking the serial number didn't help in my case.

Before paying I confirmed the serial number printed on the actual AirPods and Box matched.

I even connected to my phone I verified the serial number on screen.

Checked the warranty status on apple website for same serial number.

It still says it has warranty till march 2024.

While connecting It gave me pop as normal on my Iphone. Shown proper setup process like setting up personalise spacial audio,siri etc.

there was hardly any chance someone could figure this out that there were.

I understand they can be copied(at-least I know now).But my worry is, when I went to apple service center for repair, they had all the repair history of that device.There were at-least 2 previous attempts to service them (from previous owners i guess)and repair were rejected because they were fake.

So they knew this particular serial number is FAKE and still they didn’t block it or did anything about it.

praths Said:

"I got scammed for fake AirPod max too a week ago.Checking the serial number didn't help in my case.[...]"

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So, were these new, and shrink-wrapped? I would recommend purchasing these from a retailer, or directly from Apple --none other.

praths wrote:

…in every forum, it is mentioned that check authenticity of product by checking the serial numbers and Thats not true anymore.

It was never true. Those that make that claim are best ignored.

Unfortunately, there are some other similarly bogus claims around here.

Buying a used iPhone or iPad online too often leads to disappointment, too.