The new-generation Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are among the hottest devices of this year and hit retail just recently, yet fakes are already out there.
As a general rule of thumb, it's always best to purchase new smartphones through legitimate channels, but some people find it hard to resist when they find a top-notch device at a lower price tag. A Reddit user found out the hard way that not all ads are legitimate deals, as what he thought was a steal turned out to be a fake Samsung Galaxy S6.
Reddit user MalcomSex found an ad on Craigslist for a Samsung Galaxy S6 selling for less than the official price tag. The smartphone looked quite impressive, and at first glance the buyer didn't notice that it was in fact a clone of Samsung's new-generation flagship.
"Bought on craigslist from a dude claiming it was a G920i bought off ebay, which did't work on CDMA. I met him in a public space 20 minutes from my house, and popped in my AT&T SIM in so I could verify that it was in fact unlocked. I asked him for his number so I could call him, but he didn't have it memorized as it was temporary (huge red flag). The phone worked, and the hardware looked legit, so I paid him just under $500 and proceeded to drive away without recording his license #. Now I am out $500 and wondering what I can do with this piece of shit other than warning you guys," the user posted on Reddit.
"The box and exterior hardware are pretty convincing. I know I was stupid enough to fall for it. The software on the other hand is unmistakably fake. Unfortunately, the sun was so bright, I didn't get to do a throughout inspection."
The photos of the device reveal that this Galaxy S6 knockoff does indeed look very much like the real deal, so one could be easily fooled by the exterior. A closer inspection would reveal that the mic hole is on the right side and the charging port is upside down, but the buyer did not notice. Amusingly enough, the smartphone also displays the software version as Android 5.0.2, but with a KitKat background. At one point, it also displayed a "Please keep calm down" message.
As one could imagine, the specifications of this Galaxy S6 clone are mediocre and have nothing to do with the real Galaxy S6. The knockoff apparently packs a MediaTek MT6582 processor under the hood, just 1GB of RAM, and the display has an HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The real Galaxy S6 features a powerful Exynos processor, 3GB of RAM, and a QHD resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels.
If anything, this should serve as a strong warning. Always buy from legitimate channels to avoid scams like this one and, if you insist on buying from a random seller, at least make sure to check the device thoroughly before shelling out the cash.
