@Moncats 26 October 2022

What Should You Check Or Consider Before Buying Second Hand Mobile Phones? So, how do you ensure that you are up for a good deal that is sheer value for money? Here are few effective tips that can lead to a positive buying experience for you with less likelihood of a second hand or refurbished purchase gone horribly wrong. 1. Stay Away from Stolen Phones Even if you are being lured to a deal that’s simply a steal, buying a stolen phone is a strict ‘no-no’. After all, why get into a trouble with the Police authorities at a later stage for spending your money on a device that has been reported as lost or stolen or for buying a second hand phone that may have been misused in the past for execution of unlawful activities? To safeguard yourself from such unnecessary hassles, always insist that the seller provides you with a soft or a hard copy of the original bill that shows his or her name as the buyer of the device along with other nitty-gritties such as date and time of the original purchase, name of the store from where it was purchased, warranty details, etc. But to be at the safest hand i consider you get the seller phone packet where you can find the IMEI no written on it. In other to confirm it not a stolen smartphone. Next, look around the second hand phone’s battery compartment area for an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) sticker or type *#06# (universal IMEI code that is compatible with almost all GSM mobile devices) to retrieve its unique IMEI number and match this serial number with that mentioned on the bill and on the packaging box. The above code works on both iPhones and Android phones. Note that dual SIM mobiles will have two IMEI numbers as opposed to one IMEI number for a single SIM mobile. If the details match, then you can be rest assured that the phone has not been robbed from someone. 2. Watch Out for Fake Phones It is a fact that the market today thrives with a plethora of fake Chinese or Korean phones that are mere replicas of their original models and are quite hard to discern with the naked eye. Knowing that the phones’ internal stickers contain important information such as their IMEI numbers, model numbers etc, at times, fraudsters tend to alter these stickers with counterfeited ones that portray sham model numbers with no resemblance to the actual ones. Fake smartphone sales cost global industry $48 Billion anually. To ensure that your seller is not fleecing you, you can execute the following checks. Make sure that the model being sold to you is a genuine one by exploring the phone’s ‘Settings’ menu to find its model number and other hardware specifications. Compare the model number with that printed on the sticker behind the back of the phone or its battery. You can further leverage the hardware specifications to investigate if they match with those that have been outlined for that particular model by the manufacturer. Despite the above, if you are still in doubt, consult your nearest Authorised Service Centre to decipher the genuineness of the phone in minutes. Article written by; Network/Cyber-Security Engr. Donald Duke