Bought IPhone X locked for Sprint

Nothing. You got scammed. The police provide a safe space to carry out transactions. They can't guarantee you're not going to get ripped off, just that you won't be held up at gunpoint or murdered while making the buy...

They are correct. This is a civil matter, not a criminal matter.

You might be able to activate it on Sprint, then have it unlocked after meeting their conditions, but only Sprint can say for sure and I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

If this phone is on a payment plan with Sprint, I'd say there's a good chance you purchased a stolen phone. If you did, you'll likely have to turn the phone over and you're out the money you paid. Would you think that a highly coveted phone, which is in back order around the world was an unusual deal this new into iPhone X lifecycle? People are paying over list price for this phone so I'm curious to know if you paid less or more than retail for the phone?

You need to go to Sprint and find out the real story behind this phone. Even if you sell it another country, it's locked to Sprint and if someone buys the phone outside the US, they won't be able to use the phone. You need to go to Sprint.

They clearly chose the safest place in the world to scam you.

1. There is no such thing as an unlocked Sprint phone right now.

2. Apple hasn't released a sim-free unlocked phone in the US

3. Unless the jerk who sold you the phone gave you the original purchase receipt, you don't even have any warranty on this phone and if you do sell it outside the US, whoever buys it won't have ANY warranty either. Even if they did, the warranty would have been valid in the US only.

Had you done just a bit of research, you would have seen the red flags. I'm sorry this happened to you, but this was completely avoidable.

tatoweb wrote:

Yes that is why I want to unlock it first then sell it for somebody abroad, so they can use it.

There's a really good chance you bought a stolen phone.

Was this phone set up before you bought it, or was it in a factory sealed box? In case you hadn't heard, there was a UPS truck held up at gunpoint on launch day and over $350,000 worth of iPhones were stolen. Apple has blacklisted each and every one. You could have bought one of them.

If the phone is locked to Sprint on a payment plan, the phone is locked to Sprint and you simply can't just remove the sim, pop one in from another carrier, here in the US or in another country and hope the phone will work. Because it won't.

Face it, you thought you were beating the system and you simply didn't.

It sounds as if the person made the purchase from Sprint, and then failed to make payments, either on the phone or the cellular contract. I would imagine that Sprint will be more than willing to release that device to you for paying off the phone, and paying off the defrauded contract. That is all Sprint will accept for you to get a released phone. There are deadbeats all around the world. This one figured he would get away with it, and it appears that he did. He defrauded Sprint, and then you, and walked away with your $1200. The only thing the person that sold you the phone will have to worry about is trying to get another contract with Sprint, or another carrier if the share the information. It should show up on his credit report if he tries to get another contract phone from a carrier. Sprints answer to the failure to pay is to blacklist the phone. So, you are stuck, unless you pay off Sprint.

Of course, I hope you realize that would probably require you to pay another $1000 plus tax for the phone, and usually 45-90 days of service from Sprint. I would walk away, since you are already out $1200, and don't think about trying to cut your losses by selling the phone to someone else and let them get screwed.

You have just restored my faith in humanity. I'm very pleased to see you did this and that says a lot about you. If I were you, I'd chalk this up to a loss. Sprint still isn't involved in this yet. As I mentioned above, it's possible the phone is stolen. If it is and you go to see Sprint, they'll confiscate the phone. If it isn't stolen and they'll work with you, you'll have to pay off the $999 to have this phone. That would make your investment in a $999 phone, $2199. Not a very good investment to be sure.

Good to hear you had a conscience. I'm sorry you got taken, but I would never purchase a new device like this from some guy on the street. It is too new, and it isn't worth getting something like that from someone other than Apple or an authorized reseller. A way too expensive a lesson, but sometimes those things happen.

You never said where you found his online post to sell the phone, but if there is an option to leave buyer feedback, I'd blast him royally. And I would insist on getting my money back and let him know you will report him to the police for selling under fraud if he doesn't give you your money back.