Buying an iPhone in Ghana: How to Check "UK Used", Refurbished and Fake iPhones Before You Pay

Short answer: before you pay for any iPhone in Ghana, hold it, switch it on and check four screens yourself: Settings > General > About (model, serial number, IMEI, carrier lock and parts history), Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and the setup screen after the phone is erased, where you sign in with your own Apple Account. Then put the serial number into Apple's coverage page. If the seller will not let you do any of this, walk away, however good the price is.

What do "UK used", "US used" and "refurbished" really mean?

In Ghana, "UK used" or "US used" usually means a phone that was owned by someone abroad and imported for resale. It is not a grade and nobody certifies it. Some are clean and well kept. Some were repaired with cheap parts, some are still tied to the first owner's iCloud, and some are locked to a foreign network.

"Refurbished" also means different things. Apple sells its own refurbished phones, but most "refurbished" iPhones in Ghana were fixed up by independent workshops. That can be fine, but it means you must check what was replaced. "Brand new" should mean sealed, never activated, with a warranty from the seller you can actually use.

Apple does not run its own Apple Store in Ghana, so new iPhones come through resellers and importers. If a shop says it is an Apple Authorised Reseller, ask to see proof and check Apple's own locator at locate.apple.com.

How to tell a fake or clone iPhone

Clone iPhones copy the look, not the system. These checks catch most of them in two minutes:

• Open the App Store and sign in. A clone runs Android dressed up to look like iOS. It cannot open the real App Store, iCloud or FaceTime properly.
• Go to Settings > General > About. Check the model name, storage capacity, iOS version and serial number. Then check the same serial number on Apple's site (below). If the model or capacity does not match, stop.
• Dial *#06#. The IMEI on screen must match the one in Settings > General > About, on the SIM tray if the phone has one, and on the box. See our guide to checking a phone's IMEI in Ghana.
• Test Face ID or Touch ID, both cameras, speakers, charging and calls. Put your own SIM in and make a call.

How to check Activation Lock and iCloud before you pay

Activation Lock is tied to Find My. If the last owner did not sign out, the phone stays locked to their Apple Account even after a factory reset, and you cannot use it. Apple used to have a public web tool to check this, but that tool has been removed, so you must check on the phone itself.

1. Ask the seller to sign out in front of you: Settings > [their name at the top] > Sign Out. This needs their Apple Account password. A genuine owner or a proper shop can do it.
2. Then ask them to erase it: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
3. When it restarts on the "Hello" screen, go through setup yourself until you reach the Apple Account step and sign in with your own account, or at least get past activation.
4. If you see "iPhone Locked to Owner" or a request for someone else's email and password, do not buy it. "We will remove it later" or "it is just a bypass" means you will be left with a phone that can be locked again at any time.

Also watch for a "Remote Management" screen during setup. That means a company or school still controls the phone.

Use Apple's coverage page to confirm the model

Go to checkcoverage.apple.com and enter the serial number from Settings > General > About. It should show the exact model you are being sold. It may also show whether the phone still has Apple warranty or AppleCare, and whether Apple has a valid purchase date. A model that does not match, or a serial number Apple does not recognise, is a reason to stop.

In the same About screen, tap the Model Number line until it shows a code that starts with a letter. It is widely reported that M usually means sold new, F means refurbished by Apple or a network, N means a replacement unit from Apple and P means it was engraved. Treat this as a hint only. A phone repaired by a street workshop keeps its original letter.

Check the parts and service history

On iOS 15.2 or later, go to Settings > General > About. If the phone has been repaired, Apple shows a Parts and Service History section. On iPhone 12 and later it can cover the battery, display, logic board and front and rear cameras. Apple's labels mean:

• Genuine: repaired with Apple parts and process.
• Unknown: the part may not be genuine, may not work properly, or could not be verified.
• Used: the part came out of another iPhone.
• Unverified: the logic board was replaced, which can affect features such as Apple Pay.

An "Unknown" screen or battery is not always a disaster, but it should lower the price, and Apple says it can lower trade-in value. If the seller called the phone "original, never opened", an Unknown part tells you they were not honest.

Check battery health properly

Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health and look at Maximum Capacity. Apple says iPhone 14 and earlier batteries are designed to keep about 80% capacity at 500 full cycles, and iPhone 15 and later at 1,000 cycles. Below 80%, expect to replace the battery soon.

On iPhone 15 and later, Settings > General > About also shows the battery cycle count, the month it was made and its first use date. A "never used" phone with hundreds of cycles is not new. If you see "Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple battery", the health figure may not be accurate.

Is it locked to a foreign network?

Many "US used" iPhones were sold on contract by American networks. In Settings > General > About, look at Carrier Lock. It should say "No SIM restrictions". Apple says only the original network can unlock a phone, not Apple and not a shop in Ghana. Many US models from iPhone 14 onwards also have no SIM tray and only take eSIM, so check that your network can give you an eSIM before you buy one.

Where to buy, and how to check each kind of seller

Before you meet anyone, you can search the shop on TrustCheck to read what other buyers say.

What to do if you already paid

• If you paid by MoMo, call your network straight away (MTN 100, or the Telecel or AT customer line) and ask about reversing or holding the payment.
• Keep the chat, the seller's number, the MoMo reference and photos of the phone and box.
• Report to the Cyber Security Authority (call or text 292) and to the police. Our guide on how to report a scam in Ghana has the steps.
• If the phone is locked to someone else's iCloud, there is no safe "bypass". Go back to the seller with the receipt and ask for a refund.

Before you deal with any seller, check a number, handle or website on TrustCheck. If you were cheated, report it so the next buyer is warned.