Either you are selling or buying a phone, criminals may find a way to take your hard-earned money. Consumers have fallen prey to malicious operations carried out by thieves with counterfeit notes, stolen gadgets, and substandard secondhand phones. However, below are some of the actions you may take to identify such criminals and save you from experiencing a fraud case. Consumer to consumer markets is characterizedby fraud since there are limited laws that govern these operations. Below are some of the issues that often raises eyebrows and calls for vigilance.
Advance Payments and low prices
When buying a secondhand phone, fraudsters will often ask you to pay for goods in advance. Such sellers have convincing arguments on why you should spend on advancement, but you need not fall prey. Always pay for goods after the delivery, especially for dealers you have never conducted any transaction with before. Similarly, it would be best to avoid low prices; when dealers ask for abnormal low prices, there is a chance of fraud. You may even end up going home with broken gadgets that don’t work.
Substandard Secondhand phones
Online and local shops can deceive you into buying broken phones or phones made of paper and wax. Such sellers give many excuses on why the phone should not be checked immediately; they give reasons such as the phone battery is low to prevent you from checking the phone. Beware of such sellers that are very convincing.
Stolen Phones
If you are in search of a secondhand phones, the chances are that that phone is stolen. However, you may not know this with conviction and thus the need to look for indirect signs on the transaction. Search for reviews of past customers what they said about the seller and his/—her reputation. Look at the seller’s account to determine the product’s eligibility by looking at the IMEI and the serial numbers on the device settings and the box and decide whether or not they match.
Blackmail and Remote lock
Beware of miscreants; most of the time, when people purchase a secondhand phone, they find out that it is a lock for phones such as iOS through the Find iPhone options. After the locking, the villains then contact the buyer and threatens to report them to the police. However, to avoid this struggle, reset your device to default before purchasing it.
Meet at a public place
If you are buying a secondhand phone from a dealer, especially a first time meeting, ensure you meet at a public place. This will protect you from robbery and ensure that you meet at home with WI-FI access to check the gadget, whether it works appropriately. In case you want to pay in cash, give the exact amount; this will limit the chances of being given counterfeit notes as change. Do not accept the exchange of your money for smaller denominations. Be confident as you transact, whether the device works properly, and don’t be shy when counting your cash.