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Free iPhone scam

M

Mark R

Diamond Member
Just heard about a new scam doing the rounds. No idea how widespread it is.

Essentially, a courier turns up at your house with a package addressed to you. Inside is a brand new iPhone.

The next day someone phones you or writes you and basically says, that they sent you an iphone by mistake. It was meant for another customer, but due to some administrative error...blah blah. We're very sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll arrange for fedex to come pick it up and send you a check for your trouble.

Courier turns up and takes the phone away.

Next month, you start getting debt collection agencies harrasing you for payment on your new iphone plan.

Essentially, someone orders a new phone using your name and address, and it gets delivered to you. They then pretend that they are the shipper, and ask you to ship the phone to them using their fake courier.

Cliffs: If an free iphone turns up, call the cops.
 
I'm calling bullshit on this. No idiot is going to risk NOT getting the phone returned in order to scam a month of free service.
 
They would have to know my social security number to open up a line in my name. If that's the case I probably have bigger problems.
 
Mark R said:
Just heard about a new scam doing the rounds. No idea how widespread it is.

Essentially, a courier turns up at your house with a package addressed to you. Inside is a brand new iPhone.

The next day someone phones you or writes you and basically says, that they sent you an iphone by mistake. It was meant for another customer, but due to some administrative error...blah blah. We're very sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll arrange for fedex to come pick it up and send you a check for your trouble.

Courier turns up and takes the phone away.

Next month, you start getting debt collection agencies harrasing you for payment on your new iphone plan.

Essentially, someone orders a new phone using your name and address, and it gets delivered to you. They then pretend that they are the shipper, and ask you to ship the phone to them using their fake courier.

Cliffs: If an free iphone turns up, call the cops.
Click to expand...


The answer to this is the Iphone is yours to keep. Anything that gets delivered to you unexpectedly, not ordered is yours to keep. No cost, no strings.

And how do they call you anyway? Or even email you? Seems like these scammers have a lot of your info.......
 
It is pretty common actually...

What happens is you purchase a phone from a shady Authorized Re-Seller or phone sales person, they check your credit and see you are approved for 2 or more phones but you only get one... once you walk away they would activate other lines or on another carrier and do what OP stated.

This is how they get all your info... which is why I only purchase/activate new phones from Big box re-sellers or corporate direct stores...
 
Last edited:
I've never signed up for a cell phone so I have no idea how it works. My first cell and every one since has been given to me by my employer.

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
 
GagHalfrunt said:
I'm calling bullshit on this. No idiot is going to risk NOT getting the phone returned in order to scam a month of free service.
Click to expand...

What? There's no risk here. They have ordered a phone in your name. If they don't get the phone back then what have they lost? The scam isn't to get a free month of service. It's to get a free iphone. Unless I missed something.
 
Mark R said:
Just heard about a new scam doing the rounds. No idea how widespread it is.

Essentially, a courier turns up at your house with a package addressed to you. Inside is a brand new iPhone.

The next day someone phones you or writes you and basically says, that they sent you an iphone by mistake. It was meant for another customer, but due to some administrative error...blah blah. We're very sorry for the inconvenience, and we'll arrange for fedex to come pick it up and send you a check for your trouble.

Courier turns up and takes the phone away.

Next month, you start getting debt collection agencies harrasing you for payment on your new iphone plan.

Essentially, someone orders a new phone using your name and address, and it gets delivered to you. They then pretend that they are the shipper, and ask you to ship the phone to them using their fake courier.

Cliffs: If an free iphone turns up, call the cops.
Click to expand...

How do they get your social to activate the phone?

Stop reading facebook
 
Peter Nixeus said:
It is pretty common actually...

What happens is you purchase a phone from a shady Authorized Re-Seller or phone sales person, they check your credit and see you are approved for 2 or more phones but you only get one... once you walk away they would activate other lines or on another carrier and do what OP stated.

This is how they get all your info... which is why I only purchase/activate new phones from Big box re-sellers or corporate direct stores...
Click to expand...

umm...how about no?

He states you start getting collection calls the next month. If you have active lines, you won't be getting collection calls. The charges would just be on your bill.
 
rudeguy said:
How do they get your social to activate the phone?

Stop reading facebook
Click to expand...

Millions of complete profiles including SSNs have recently been leaked from several large companies. It's not uncommon because of the retarded practice of using SSNs as unique identifiers for just about everything.
 
IEC said:
Millions of complete profiles including SSNs have recently been leaked from several large companies. It's not uncommon because of the retarded practice of using SSNs as unique identifiers for just about everything.
Click to expand...

please link to one case where that happened and someone ordered a cell phone and had it delivered to the person whose info they stole's house.
 
Theb said:
I've never signed up for a cell phone so I have no idea how it works. My first cell and every one since has been given to me by my employer.

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
Click to expand...

Reading the bolded then seeing your avatar was perfect.
 
How can it directly go to collection agency without the receiver ever receiving any mail about it. Sounds Ox excreta me too...
 
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