A TikToker is alleging U.S. mobile service providers like AT&T and T-Mobile are selling tampered iPhones to unsuspecting customers. But viewers are skeptical, arguing that she maybe getting scammed—but not by the popular U.S. mobile service providers.
In a video posted on April 4, TikTok user Jasmine Ng (@jasminee.ng) shared that she discovered her iPhone was “not original.”
“I had to find that out the hard way. I am currently in France, and my front camera broke, so I took it to a repair store, and they took a look at it, and they’re like, ‘Hmm, you have screws that are missing and wires that are unplugged,” she said in the video.
Jasmine continued her account, insisting that she initially purchased the iPhone as brand new from AT&T.
However, the repairman, who claimed to have previously worked at Apple in the U.S, allegedly said that such tampering is not uncommon among phones sold by U.S. mobile service providers.
“That was a common problem like people had like fake parts in their iPhones, like these providers tend to tamper with these products. So, that’s great,” Jasmine concluded.
In an on-screen caption, she wrote: “PSA: don’t buy your iPhone from US mobile service providers (ATT, T-Mobile, etc)”.
@jasminee.ng leason learned 😁
♬ original sound – Jasmine Ng
The TikTok has quickly gained traction, accumulating over 129,800 views and counting. However, in the comments section, Jasmine’s claims were quickly met with skepticism:
One commenter wrote, “Been with T-Mobile for almost 5 yrs and they gave me an original phone all the times I have had it.”
Another user shared, “I literally got my phone from AT&T n they had to unseal the box in front of me,”
A third wrote, “Yeah no, they don’t have time to open all those phones to take out screws reseal them with glue and then sell them as new,” while another asserted, “Work for a short time with ATT in college but all iPhones are new directly from Apple with the exception of any insurance replacement.”
“Nah…that repair shop is trying to finesse you,” a further commenter speculated.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jasmine Ng via the email listed on her TikTok account as well as to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile via press emails.
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