My Rollercoaster Experience with a Potentially Stolen Samsung S23 Ultra

Today, I found myself in quite a predicament. Two months ago, I purchased a Samsung S23 Ultra from a seemingly trustworthy individual. However, upon returning home from work, I was met with an unsettling message on my screen: “This device has been reported as lost or stolen and must be returned to Amazon.”

The warning included an alert from Amazon along with a passkey and an IMEI number. It instructed me to call a number for further details. Naturally, my heart sank. Not only had I invested $800 in this device, but I also feared I might have unknowingly bought a stolen phone.

After a quick search online, I discovered numerous comments from others facing similar issues, suggesting that this could be a widespread scam. Many users reported encounters with customer service representatives who spoke poor English—raising further doubts about the legitimacy of the situation. I was hesitant to contact the number provided, fearing it might exacerbate the problem.

Following this unsettling incident, I reached out to the seller, attaching a photo of the warning message. Initially, he was unresponsive, causing my anxiety to escalate. However, he eventually replied, stating he was unaware of the situation and offered to replace the phone or refund my money. I found his response somewhat questionable; I was anxious about the possibility of losing both the device and my peace of mind.

The Troubleshooting Journey

In an attempt to rectify the issue, I performed a factory reset and cleared the cache via recovery mode. However, once the phone reset, the original problem resurfaced. Every time I attempted to complete the initial setup process, the familiar pop-up warning reappeared, leaving me feeling stuck and frustrated.

A Surprise Resolution

In a twist of fate, the seller reached out to me with a plan: he claimed he had a friend with technical knowledge who could help solve the issue. After much back and forth, he offered to swap my problematic device for another Samsung S23 Ultra—both options being different colors. Skeptical but desperate, I agreed to meet him.

When we met, he handed me a replacement phone that was in even better condition than the first. During our conversation, I made it explicitly clear that if the same issue recurred, I wanted a full refund. To my surprise, he agreed without hesitation.

Just ten minutes after parting ways, he called me again. This time, he proposed