There is the adage in which it says, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Unfortunately this is something that guitar_guy25 on Reddit did not heed when he decided that he was getting an awesome deal when purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S6 from Kijiji, sort of like the Craigslist of Canada.In a post on Reddit, he described how he thought he had gotten a good deal on a Galaxy S6, only to find out that he had paid hundreds of dollars for what we essentially a fake. Virgin Canada is selling the phone for $739 unlocked, so when he found the phone listed by a seller at $650, it seemed like a good idea.
“Last Sunday, I had a sudden urge to buy a new smartphone–the “I need it right now” mentality took me over. I looked at the price unlocked at Virgin– $739. Not bad. But maybe I can get a cheaper deal somewhere else. Enter Kijiji.” The advertiser only showed the photo of the box which should have been a red flag, but he ignored it and they arranged a meetup within an hour.
The seller then showed him the phone, turned it on, even inserted his own nano SIM to show that it worked. He even produced a proof of purchase (which was later shown to have been a fake as well). The deal was then concluded and it was only when he went to Virgin to get a nano SIM that the customer rep told him that it was a fake.
According to guitar_guy25, “That’s when things went downhill– he immediately told me it was fake. He grabbed a brand new S6 from the store safe, not sealed, but in the box. Right away just by looking at the box I knew I made a costly mistake. Compared both of the phones side by side and it was clear– I bought a fake phone. “But I have a proof of purchase?!”. Nah, it was fabricated.”
Unfortunately it seems that the police won’t be doing anything about it. It seems that they consider this a civil matter in which they won’t get involved in, despite the fact that it has happened to another person in the past who bought it from the same seller. Lesson of the day: perhaps doing some research before making a purchase is always a good idea. In the meantime you can check out the rest of his photos on Imgur.
