iPhone 4s sold as stolen?!

Fatscally

I just upgraded from my iPhone4s Vodafone Bill pay. I unlocked the iPhone4s and then sold it to a lady heading to live in Canada.
Now that she's there and trying to buy a sim to get the iPhone running, the shops there are telling her that the phone is "registered as stolen" and won't help her.

What's going on there?

Deep Thought

Fatscally wrote: »

I just upgraded from my iPhone4s Vodafone Bill pay. I unlocked the iPhone4s and then sold it to a lady heading to live in Canada.
Now that she's there and trying to buy a sim to get the iPhone running, the shops there are telling her that the phone is "registered as stolen" and won't help her.

What's going on there?

Sounds strange, surely you go into a store and get sim card , why even give the store your phone...

Bigcheeze

Might be better asking one of the reps on the Vodafone forum.

Fatscally

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Might be better asking one of the reps on the Vodafone forum.

I figured they won't be on until Monday so I came straight here. Just trying to do something to help them out. I feel a bit bad about it even though I'm sure it's not my fault. They've just emigrated and I wish it went smoother for them

brightkane

Maybe Vodafone unlocked it for u but it needs to be unlocked through iTunes with a none voda sim?

prospect

Hmmm,

Well just in case she asks to return the phone for a refund, double check you get your phone back, and not a stolen one.

naasrd

Fatscally wrote: »

I just upgraded from my iPhone4s Vodafone Bill pay. I unlocked the iPhone4s and then sold it to a lady heading to live in Canada.
Now that she's there and trying to buy a sim to get the iPhone running, the shops there are telling her that the phone is "registered as stolen" and won't help her.

What's going on there?

My guess is now that's it's unlocked it needs to be activated in iTunes, tell her to pop a sim in and not to bother with the store.

whiterebel

naasrd wrote: »

My guess is now that's it's unlocked it needs to be activated in iTunes, tell her to pop a sim in and not to bother with the store.

Is that not why she was in the store?

hfallada

How is registered as stolen in Canadian? I pretty sure when you register a phone stolen, its blocked from its home countries networks Eg 3 Ireland, O2 Ireland. But not O2 UK or T- Mobile germany.

Thats why stolen American phones end up in China or Brazil as they arent blocked from those countries networks

naasrd

whiterebel wrote: »

Is that not why she was in the store?

No. Go in, buy sim, leave, waffle free.

SpaceTime

Bear in mind that Canada's probably got amongst the most restrictive and least competitive mobile operators on the planet. I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they just won't register a foreign-bought iPhone and are making some nonsense up.

If it has been unlocked through the Vodafone official channel, and you know the history of the handset, there's no reason it would be registered as "stolen".

It's possible she walked into a store and it wasn't iTunes activated and some muppet in the store went "ohh foreign phone, bought on line, it's stolen.."


....

That or she's scamming you for a charge-back or will return a dud phone.
Do you have the IMEI on file?

Maybe one of the Vodafone reps could give you some kind of record of it having being officially unlocked and definitely not stolen.
Send her that, and if she attempts any charge back against you, explain that you have all of the evidence that it is most definitely not stolen and that you will be contacting her local police station.

It could be charge-back fraud.