What scams should I watch for with UK-used phones?
The used phone market in Nigeria runs on trust and speed, and scammers exploit both. The most common tricks: beautiful gallery photos of a phone the seller does not actually have, clones that look like an iPhone until you open the settings, iCloud or Google-locked phones that become a brick after the first reset, and the classic transfer-before-delivery disappearing act, where the seller blocks you the moment your alert drops.
There is also the quieter version: the phone is real, but it is not what was described. A 'UK-used, very clean' iPhone with a replaced screen, a tired battery nowhere near the health advertised, or a box that belongs to a completely different device. None of these are obvious from photos, which is exactly why old photos should never be enough to make you pay.
What should I check before paying for a used phone?
Run this checklist on every used phone, whether it is a budget Android or a top-spec iPhone. A genuine seller will not resist any of it; a scammer will start making excuses at step one.
- Demand live proof: fresh photos or video shot on the spot, in front of you or on a live call. Gallery pictures and 'I sent pics yesterday' do not count.
- Dial *#06# on the phone and confirm the IMEI matches the sticker on the box and the number in Settings.
- Run that IMEI through a free online IMEI checker to confirm the exact model and that it is not flagged as lost or stolen.
- Watch the seller sign out of iCloud and turn off Find My (iPhone), or do a factory reset and confirm no Google account is demanded at setup (Android).
- Put in your own SIM and test calls, data, Wi-Fi, both cameras, speakers, microphone and Face ID or fingerprint.
- Check battery health (on iPhone: Settings, Battery, Battery Health) and that the charging port works with your own cable.
- Inspect the screen for lines, dead spots and ghost touch; on iPhones, a missing True Tone option often means the screen was replaced.
- Avoid transferring before delivery. Use escrow so the money only moves after you confirm the phone.
How do I check the IMEI and serial numbers?
Dial *#06# on the phone itself. It shows the IMEI on both iPhone and Android. That number must match two other places: the sticker on the box and the IMEI listed in the phone's settings (on iPhone: Settings, General, About). If the box says one thing and the phone says another, the box was swapped, and you should assume everything else about the deal is negotiable with the truth.
Then take that IMEI and run it through a free online IMEI checker before you pay. If the checker says the IMEI belongs to a different model than the phone in your hand, you are holding a clone. If it shows the phone reported lost or stolen, walk away completely; a stolen phone can be blocked from networks later, and you inherit that problem, not the seller.
How do I check for iCloud or Google lock?
For an iPhone, open Settings and look at the very top. If someone's Apple ID is signed in, the seller must sign out and turn off Find My iPhone in front of you, entering the password themselves. If they cannot, the phone is not really theirs to sell. Do not accept 'I will remove it when I get home' under any circumstances; an iCloud-locked iPhone becomes unusable after a reset, and Apple will not remove the lock without proof of ownership, which you will not have.
For Android, the trap is Factory Reset Protection. Do a full factory reset while you watch. If the setup screen asks for a previously synced Google account, the phone is locked to someone else and you should not pay. A clean phone sets up fresh with no old account demanded.
If the deal is happening remotely, this is exactly what live camera-only proof is for: the seller records the sign-out and reset happening on the actual device, freshly, not in a video from last month.
Should I meet in person or use escrow?
Meeting in person lets you hold the phone, test it with your own SIM and run the whole checklist. But it has real costs: you may need to carry cash, you are negotiating under pressure in a busy market, and handover switches are a known trick, where the phone you tested is not the phone that enters the bag. If you do meet, pick a public place in daylight, go with someone, and keep your eyes on the device from test to handover.
Escrow flips the risk. You pay first, but the money does not reach the seller; it sits in a neutral hold until the phone arrives and you confirm it is what was promised. The seller cannot vanish with your transfer, and a serious seller has nothing to fear because payment is already secured before they ship. Escrow reduces the risk sharply; it does not remove it, so still test the phone properly before you confirm.
Why does Loota require escrow on phones?
Phones are one of the categories that get faked a lot in Nigeria, alongside laptops, consoles and generators, so on Loota escrow is not optional for them: it is required. When you pick a seller's offer, the deal moves into a protected deal room where the chat, proof, payment and full deal record stay together in one place. Loota holds your money and only releases it to the seller after you confirm you got the phone.
Because phones are a risky category, Loota also asks sellers for camera-only live proof: fresh photos or video shot on the spot, so old pictures and stock images do not pass. If anything goes wrong, the dispute is reviewed on the deal room's own record, the actual messages, proof and payment events, not screenshots either side could edit.
Searching and receiving offers is free. The only fee is a small protection fee when a deal uses escrow, split 40% buyer and 60% seller, so both sides share the cost of the safety net.
