Think twice before buying a Galaxy on Facebook Marketplace, says Samsung
Fake versions of popular phones are nothing new, but it seems the situation with some of the latest Samsung Galaxy phones has become bad enough to warrant an official statement from the company.
Samsung's warning was shared on its Australian support page, cautining potential customers to be more vigilant with where they purchase a new Galaxy phone from, as fake devices with the company's branding appear authentic, bearing Samsung's registered trademarks.
Samsung's warning was shared on its Australian support page, cautining potential customers to be more vigilant with where they purchase a new Galaxy phone from, as fake devices with the company's branding appear authentic, bearing Samsung's registered trademarks.
Please be aware that there have been reports of listings on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree and other Marketplace platforms in which private sellers are advertising mobile phones claiming to be genuine Samsung products. These devices are counterfeit and bear Samsung’s registered trademarks.
These knock-offs are getting more convincing
You might think you can always tell a knock-off phone from a real one, but sometimes it can be difficult even for the trained eye, especially if you are relying on online images and video.
While there are less "inspired" examples of counterfeit phones that are obviously fake, some are extremely detailed with complete logos and authentic packaging.
However, where even the good ones tend to fail is with the software. For example, a fake Galaxy phone might lack core features like Samsung Knox (the company's security solution). In other cases, you might find that the charging speed is not as fast as it should be.
The best sign that you don't have an original device, though, is if it doesn't receive software updates and security patches. Sadly, these are only signs that can be noticed after already purchasing the product.
If you are looking for a good deal on a Galaxy phone, Samsung recommends considering its Certified Re-Newed program. That said, this program is only available in select regions, so not everyone can rely on it.
This is nothing new
Like I mentioned earlier, what Samsung is addressing in this warning is far from an isolated case. About a year ago, we saw another massive counterfeit scam but with Apple devices, involving 10,000 fake iPhones and iPads swapped for real ones at Apple Stores across the U.S. and Canada.
The operation used fake devices with real serial numbers, which Apple employees mistakenly accepted as legitimate during returns. Apple unknowingly replaced them with genuine devices, which were then shipped to China for resale.
So, given that even Apple employees were fooled, it's safe to say that someone who doesn't deal with phones on a daily basis can be fooled too. Better to stick with the sellers you know you can trust.
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