Kingston Police warn public of private sales involving fake iPhones

Kingston Police are reminding the public that purchasing items from private sellers “carries an inherent risk of fraud,” after police were made aware of fake Apple iPhones being sold on classified sites such as Kijiji.

In a media release dated Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, police said that one recent occurrence involved phones which were advertised as iPhone 13 Pro Max models. “The phones come in what appears to be a genuine iPhone box. The phones look like an iPhone 13 and even indicate it is an iPhone 13 in their settings. However, they are actually running on an Android operating system.”

Police added that all private sales are a “buyer beware” situation and urge the public to remain wary of these types of items being sold by individuals unknown to them.

“Be aware of red flags such as lower than average asking prices, and the seller wanting to meet out front of a building or other public location rather than at their actual residence,” police said.