Clone IPhone from Tukcom

[greo]

While in Patts, last October, I purchased a clone of IPhone 4s, for 3000 bht.

I intended to use it for when I returned to Thailand as a cheap back up.I have a genuine IPhone 4s, which I use at home in UK.

My friend at home was also looking for a phone, and as he is long standing friend, I decided to give him the copy. He used his existing Vodaphone sim card, and all was well. Three days later, the phone stopped working and he received a text, to say the phone and sim card had been cut off. The message said that the phone had been involved in a fraud or security problem.

We both went to a Vodaphone shop, after he had been trying for a week to get someone to inform him what the problem was. In the store the staff also tried to ask their fraud office to explain the reason. They texted their store, and said something about a number, on back of the copy was involved in a security alert. They would not allow me to copy the message or take a photo of it.

There must be thousands of these copies in circulation, anybody any idea of the problem? I am back to Patts. in October again and would like to see what vendor has to say! I know no chance of refund but just like to know why.

Regards to all, greo

[Scumbag]

Maybe it has more to do with the fact that the phone is a copy???

[Petesie]

Apple has obviously picked up that it is a copy through the handshake and alerted the service provider.

[dan2016]

Why would you spend 3,000 bhat on a knock off I phone 4 when you can get a original one there with a warranty for 4,500 bhat as that's what a real  I phone 4 goes for these days as I bought one  a year ago and still works no problem.

[greo]

Maybe it has more to do with the fact that the phone is a copy???

 

There are thousands of these phones sold every day. Tukcom sells many also. Would they sell if they didn't work?

[greo]

Apple has obviously picked up that it is a copy through the handshake and alerted the service provider.

 

Are you saying copy phones do not work or are illegal? They sell them on ebay in uk. MBK and Tukcom also sell thousands of them!

[Scumbag]

There are thousands of these phones sold every day. Tukcom sells many also. Would they sell if they didn't work?

I understood from the OP that the phone is being used in UK where things are more strict than in Thailand. All phones have a unique number (not related to the SIM) so it is very easy to identify counterfeit phones. The key word in your post is probably 'fraud'.

[Pheat]

There are thousands of these phones sold every day. Tukcom sells many also. Would they sell if they didn't work?

iPhone copies are not recognised by iTunes or Apple apps so do not work

[Wolf Cat]

Iphones have what's called an IMEI number, if you have a cloned phone they can detect two phones are using the same serial number and know one (mostly likley the 2nd one) is a clone and cut it off.

[Scumbag]

Iphones have what's called an IMEI number, if you have a cloned phone they can detect two phones are using the same serial number and know one (mostly likley the 2nd one) is a clone and cut it off.

All phones have them. It is the number I was referring to in my previous post. I think it is easy for the phone company to check if one is valid or not.

[Skalliwag]

[questor]

There are thousands of these phones sold every day. Tukcom sells many also. Would they sell if they didn't work?

Yes. TIT.

 

Most likely the phones work okay within Thailand. Out of country, out of mind.

[Wolf Cat]

All phones have them. It is the number I was referring to in my previous post. I think it is easy for the phone company to check if one is valid or not.

FWIW, I'm just starting to learn that every phone has it's own unique "radio fingerprint", you can change the SIM card, you can change the IMEI number (through cloning) but can't change the radio fingerprint.

 

Radio fingerprinting is a process that identifies a cellular phone or any other radio transmitter by the, hard to imitate, "fingerprint" that characterizes its signal transmission. An electronic fingerprint makes it possible to identify a wireless device by its, hard to imitate, radio transmission characteristics. Radio fingerprinting is commonly used by cellular operators to prevent cloning of cell phones. A cloned cell phone will have a same numeric equipment identity but a different radio fingerprint.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_fingerprinting

[Bernie Num Nums]

Typical Apple. I will not buy their products on principal. I manage about 300 iPhones for the company I work for and with the latest IOS release dropping support for our sales staff to connect back to our servers securely we are going across to Android. $200 a phone vs $800.

 

Sent from my cheap ass Chinese phone (Oukitel K6000 Pro) with a battery big enough to jump start a Kenworth.

[Skalliwag]

Typical Apple. I will not buy their products on principal. I manage about 300 iPhones for the company I work for and with the latest IOS release dropping support for our sales staff to connect back to our servers securely we are going across to Android. $200 a phone vs $800.

Sent from my cheap ass Chinese phone (Oukitel K6000 Pro) with a battery big enough to jump start a Kenworth.

And somewhere in the world there are 300 androids being changed over to iPhones.

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

[Scumbag]

And somewhere in the world there are 300 androids being changed over to iPhones.

That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Where do you get that idea? Between the first and second quarter of this year Apple lost smartphone market share.

 

[greo]

Thanks all for all the information received. Another lesson learned.

Amazing really when there is a copy phone stall next door to the real IPhone stall,  "only in Thailand" !

regards, greo

[Scumbag]

Thanks all for all the information received. Another lesson learned.

Amazing really when there is a copy phone stall next door to the real IPhone stall,  "only in Thailand" !

regards, greo

There should be no problem using the phone in Thailand as it is only the UK carrier that has banned it.

[Woofiee]

Typical Apple. I will not buy their products on principal. I manage about 300 iPhones for the company I work for and with the latest IOS release dropping support for our sales staff to connect back to our servers securely we are going across to Android. $200 a phone vs $800.

 

Sent from my cheap ass Chinese phone (Oukitel K6000 Pro) with a battery big enough to jump start a Kenworth.

 

Someone clones a phone's IMEI and it doesn't (rightly) work any more -- and this is Apple's fault?  I'm astonished by how people just like to ignore science and facts and blame their preferred bad-guy-of-the-moment instead.  

 

Do you have any idea how fraud works? Because this is how fraud works. 

 

IMEIs are what individually identifies mobiles and their calls. Those stories of people getting ridiculous phone charges because their phone was cloned...that's what this is. You buy a clone from an unauthorized reseller, that's like two serious strikes against the product off the bat... more than likely the carrier themselves cut the service off, as they'll be the ones having to deal with the charges. 

[Farangkie]

Anything with Apple software on it  ,be it iPhone , iPad or MacBook , means you have to register it , and therefore there is a two way communication between the device and Apple .......why would anyone think a fake Apple product would work.

[jimpty]

Apple which im not fond of and even samsung which i have been using for years would be the last two makes i would be looking to purchase in Thailand plenty of the lesser known brands have some amazing phones out for purchase over there and most of those have no connectivity problems or issues back home

[Scumbag]

IMEIs are what individually identifies mobiles and their calls. Those stories of people getting ridiculous phone charges because their phone was cloned...that's what this is. You buy a clone from an unauthorized reseller, that's like two serious strikes against the product off the bat... more than likely the carrier themselves cut the service off, as they'll be the ones having to deal with the charges. 

I don't think this is quite correct. The IMEI is only the number identifying the phone. It's akin to a serial number. There are two other numbers that are important. There is a ICCID that identifies the SIM card and an IMSI that identifies the user of the SIM card. It is these two numbers that the telcos use to make charges.

[Woofiee]

I don't think this is quite correct. The IMEI is only the number identifying the phone. It's akin to a serial number. There are two other numbers that are important. There is a ICCID that identifies the SIM card and an IMSI that identifies the user of the SIM card. It is these two numbers that the telcos use to make charges.

 

Ah, yes - I do stand corrected. I was assuming that there's a feedback loop from manufacturers to telecoms (likely if bought through the telecom) if a cloned device appears.

 

Apple which im not fond of and even samsung which i have been using for years would be the last two makes i would be looking to purchase in Thailand plenty of the lesser known brands have some amazing phones out for purchase over there and most of those have no connectivity problems or issues back home

 

May I politely suggest that your next purchase be a few punctuation marks. 

[rainman333]

0 chance of a refund and I'm not sure why you would even come back to the vendor and ask about it since it seems obvious that the phone got cut off due to being a copy.

[jimpty]

Ah, yes - I do stand corrected. I was assuming that there's a feedback loop from manufacturers to telecoms (likely if bought through the telecom) if a cloned device appears.

 

 

May I politely suggest that your next purchase be a few punctuation marks. 

Suggest all you but at the end of the day up to me