What to do with a fake iPhone?

I was scammed myself with a fake iPhone 15 ProMax.

I was provided with the image of the back of the sealed iphone box and the Apple Store receipt. They matched. I verified the IMEI number on two IMEI checking site both showed as clear. I checked the serial number on the Apple support site it came up okay.

But, after I got the phone and turned it on I noticed the display wasn’t full size checked some other stuff. And things were starting to look weird. Plus I checked the MagSafe connection it wouldn’t stick.

I did notice after checking the scam box with a real iPhone box two things that were different. The iPhone image on the REAL box is raised noticeably. The fake felt like just a crease. The other thing that was more noticeable is the back of the box. The fake box had a sticker on the back which contained the phone’s information. On the real box that info is printed directly on the box.

I also did connect to my home wifi temporarily. My wifi app said that it connected as a Generic Brand Android device running Android Oreo 8.1

Physically the FAKE iPhone was perfect.

I bought this FAKE iPhone via Facebook marketplace.

Personally I feel that Facebook should be held accountable for this to happen on their system. They have the ability to monitor these potential FAKE items and they should at least post a notice on each of these ads stating that it might be a scam of counterfeit products.

akshat265 Said:

"What to do with a fake phone: My dad recently tried to buy a phone for me for my birthday and he got scammed with some fake iphone. The phone started up like a iphone. He thought it was cheap because it was stolen so checked the serial number with apple and they said it's legit. He also got a receipt of the iphone but the reciept was also deemed fake. What can we do now?"

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Troubleshooting Sold a Fake iPhone:

A Verifying a Fake iPhone:

1. Get the Serial Number: Find your Mac Model Name and Serial Number - Apple Support
2. Enter the Serial Number here: https://checkcoverage.apple.com/.
3. View the Results: If all shows up as an iPhone of the same mode, then it is not fake.

B. Where was this Purchased?

• Web Site?:

If this was purchased off of a Web site (i.e. eBay), then contact the site, seeing if the seller can be held accountable, and if you can get your money back.

• Personal Sale?:

If this was purchased in-person somehow, then take it up with that person.  Request a Refund: Seems you've been scammed, though a full-assumption on my part. So, ask the seller for a return . This is the site they should have used prior to selling it to you: What to do Before you Sell, Give Away, or Trade in your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support. The seller should have known better.

C. Learn from This:

If a deal is too good looking, then it is likely a scam. So, for such an expensive device, I recommend purchasing it from Apple, and none other.

This is incorrect as the Fake Iphones CAN and DO have valid serial numbers of Phones they are Counterfeiting so the search on Apples site returns a real Iphone but not the one you bought.

best way to check if a IPhone is Fake is either trying to update as the IOS will be outdated or check the Phones Files drive for folders named things like "Android" that should not be on an Iphone.

Make a video about the situation and post it on social media , to warn others of what to watch out for.

some content creators even go as far as making a tear down video.

although I would advice any layman against opening a fake I-phone them selves, as that may be dangerous if done blindly

I find the narrative inconsistent. It's "fake" but it's also "legit"? Perhaps, our colleague meant that it's a stolen "legit" iPhone and the receipt is a tampered one (making it "fake" in essence but the actual gadget is not).

Or, perhaps, I'm speculating too much?

SparkyDave1966 wrote:

I bought this FAKE iPhone via Facebook marketplace.

Personally I feel that Facebook should be held accountable for this to happen on their system. They have the ability to monitor these potential FAKE items and they should at least post a notice on each of these ads stating that it might be a scam of counterfeit products.

Have you reported this to Facebook?

Report it to the local law enforcement authorities. Nothing else can be done.