The recent ordeal of a Reddit user named Akshaythunga highlights the dangers of purchasing expensive phones, like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, online. Despite the numerous deals and discounts offered by e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart, some people still prefer physical stores due to the lack of guarantee of the authenticity of the product when purchased online. While Amazon’s replacement services are considerably good, buyers usually avoid taking the risk when it involves expensive products like the iPhone.
Akshaythunga shared on Reddit that he received a fake iPhone 14 Pro Max from Amazon, and expressed regret for not purchasing the phone from an Apple Store instead. Upon turning on the device, he immediately noticed several anomalies, such as pre-installed apps like WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as the absence of portrait mode on the front camera. Interestingly, the counterfeit iPhone 14 Pro Max looked identical to the original iPhone 14 Pro Max. The box also contained all the necessary things that a genuine iPhone box contains includin
“When I opened it to my surprise it did not ask for a setup. Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp was pre installed. There was some anomaly observed in the font and there was no portrait mode available in the selfie cam,” he added. Akshay then checked the serial number of the phone on checkcoverage.apple.com.
After checking the serial number on checkcoverage.apple.com, Akshay visited an authorized Apple seller, Apptronix, where he was informed that the device was indeed a counterfeit. The serial number was correct, but the phone was not original, and the discrepancy in serial numbers could be due to the fact that the phone was a US piece instead of an Indian one.
“The representative at Apple service centre was telling me that it was a US piece while I ordered an Indian one. They made some checks and arrived at the conclusion made in the job sheet. I’m not sure about the intricacies of cloning. The device came along with a USB to lightning instead of USB to Type-C. It was startling,” he said.
Akshay had ordered the phone from Appario, one of Amazon’s trusted sellers, and is currently in the process of raising the issue with Apple to receive a replacement. This case serves as a reminder to always be cautious when ordering expensive items online, and to consider purchasing from official stores or authorized sellers to ensure the authenticity of the product.”
