With online marketplace scams still unfortunately plentiful, selling fake iPhones and trying to pass them off as genuine phones can be a very lucrative business.
While the box may seem or even be original Apple as it could be taken from an original iPhone, the actual device may not be, especially if the deal seems too good to be true.
With the entire principle behind to produce cheaply and pass off as original product, manufacturing costs have to be low which will inevitably mean quality differences.
The dynamic island, known informally as the notch, and the under-display camera are both notoriously difficult to reproduce cheaply therefore we can usually tell just by looking at this part of the phone whether this is an original iPhone or not.
The notch on the original iPhone below is perfectly rectangular with rounded corners and the front camera is barely visible as the colour nearly perfectly matches the display.
With this listing below, it is very easy to spot this is a fake iPhone just by looking at the colour of the under-display front camera being completely different to the front glass. The seller mentions this is not a genuine one hinting this is a fake phone.
This is another listing I found very quickly on the front-page of my Facebook Marketplace of a seller trying to sell this phone for a slightly lower price trying to pass this off as a genuine iPhone. Very simple to spot, the under-display front camera outline exceeds the bounds of the dynamic island.
Please be extra careful purchasing expensive items on unprotected online marketplaces.
Try to check every functionality of a device and if it is a phone, run an IMEI test to give you back some more details of the phone such as whether it is in contract or not as this may mean the company can block the phone if the seller stops paying for the device.
Another important word of wisdom - do not under any circumstances send money directly through online banking to anyone claiming they offer delivery. If you think you are safe, pay the seller directly through PayPal and make sure you select Goods & Services when sending payment so if in any case there are any issues - you can trust PayPal Buyer Protection will help you and get your money back!
Stay safe out here while searching for bargains!
Denis - The TA1 Computer Shop