In September 2022, people were occupied with many things but a common thread pulling us all together was the launch of the new iPhone model 14 Pro Max. Apple phones have not only become a trend but are also desirable for their brand value. People want to save up money to buy the newest model even if the next model outdoes it in a matter of a few months.
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Man Receives Fake iPhone 14 Pro Max From Amazon
However, the popularity of the product means that there are bound to be cases where scammers will try to take advantage of its trending status. Recently, one such case came up on Reddit when a user shared his misfortune of landing on a wrong purchase online.
User Akshaythunga shared that he had ordered the newest model, the iPhone 14 PRO MAX, recently from Amazon India but after receiving the model, he felt that something was up with his new phone. He shared that he received his phone just a day after he had ordered it on February 5.
He detailed that after he got the model, he felt something was fishy. “When I opened it to my surprise it did not ask for a setup. Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp was pre installed,” he revealed.
Besides not having to set up the mobile which most handsets require since customers receive a factory setup on a brand-new phone, he also observed other discrepancies.
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“There was some anomaly observed in font and there was no portrait mode available in selfie cam,” informed the Redditor. To confirm his suspicions, the man went to the official website for Apple phones where you can check the warranty status and service details of a handset from the company. Everything looked intact when he entered the serial number on the coverage website.
The Apptroix Store Confirmed That It Was Indeed A Fake Model
The man shared that even after getting a thumbs up from the official website, his doubts were still not cleared. “I had a hunch that something was fishy and immediately rushed to a nearby Apptronix and the sales executive confirmed that it was a duplicate device,” he wrote. The phone had significant differences from the others in the display which made it quite clear that the model was fake.
In the report, the employees at the store confirmed that the iPhone was indeed a fake and quoted the issue, “Purchased device from amazon and got non-apple iPhone 14pro max. (External VMI check done and found iPhone 14pro max is non-genuine apple product but serial number mention on box as well as device serial number is original but physically checked iPhone is non genuine apple device hence VMI failed and device given back to customer).”
The man revealed that after he had initiated a refund, the seller had been adamant about a replacement. Seeing as the situation was going nowhere, the customer raised the issue with the Indian government customer service helpline and is awaiting their response.
