Is the Phone legit?

Check IMEI

Info: When a phone is reported stolen or a carrier reports the phone as not being paid off, then the phone is labeled "blocked" or "blacklisted".  Blacklisted phones cannot access carrier networks, and therefore should be avoided. Due to their handicapped functionality, these phones have reduced prices. Sometimes people will run a scam trying to sell a blacklisted phone as a non-blacklisted phone - and this is why you need to check the IMEI. If you buy a blacklisted phone, it will not work with your carrier.

IMEI: a 15-digit number that identifies a mobile device. This is the same number used to activate or blacklist a phone. 

Typically people will not provide the phone's IMEI number until you're in person. Meeting in person and hoping the IMEI number is clear is a risk you take if shopping on Community Selling Platforms. Most of the time people are honest sellers, but as they say, trust but verify! When in person, ask to have them show you the phone's IMEI number, then pull up the IMEI checking tool below.

2 Steps to Check IMEI:

1. Go to https://swappa.com/imei

2. Enter the IMEI number and press enter or search

Results: If the phone is not blacklisted, there will be a message like this:

This means the phone is not blacklisted, because Swappa.com only allows non-blacklisted phones to be listed on their selling platform.

If a different message shows, ask the seller why this might be. Most likely in this scenario the phone is stolen or not paid in full and you should walk away.  Bummer you had to meet someone and not get the phone, but that's better than spending money on a bad phone!

P.S. Avoid accusing the seller of anything and simply tell them you don't want to buy the phone. 95% of the time the seller knows the phone is blacklisted, and they don't want you to report them so they might start to tell you a story of what's going on. Don't believe them, simply walk away. When you return home, feel free to report them on the site you were communicating through.