How to check if a phone is original in Nigeria (before you pay)

Start here: the IMEI

Every genuine phone has a unique 15-digit IMEI.

1. Dial \*#06# on the phone — the IMEI shows immediately.
2. Compare it with the number printed on the box.
3. On many phones it is also on the SIM tray or under the back cover.

Those numbers must match. A mismatch means the box is not the box that phone came in — at best a repackage, at worst a fake or a stolen device dressed up for sale.

Then check the IMEI against the manufacturer's own checker (Samsung, Apple, Tecno, Infinix and others all publish one). It should return the exact model you were told you are buying. If you were promised one model and the IMEI reports another, that is the whole conversation.

Check the storage is real

This is the most common deception in the Nigerian phone market, and settings will not save you — the reported number can be faked.

The test: copy several large files (a few big videos) onto the phone until you are past what you suspect the real capacity is. Then open them. On a phone with faked storage, files beyond the real limit will fail to open or play back as corrupted.

Do this before you pay, not after.

Inspect the screen and body

• Screen: look for uneven backlight at the edges, dead pixels, and touch that does not track your finger smoothly in the corners.
• Body gaps: a phone that has been opened often does not close perfectly flush again.
• Screws: chewed or mismatched screws near the charging port mean it has been apart.
• Ports: charge it and connect it to a computer while you are there. A phone that charges but will not transfer data has been tampered with more often than not.

Check it has not been left locked

Ask the seller to factory-reset the phone in front of you, then set it up. If it demands the previous owner's Google account (FRP lock) or Apple ID (Activation Lock), the phone is useless to you — this is also a common sign the device was not the seller's to sell.

The box tells a story

Sealed does not mean genuine — sealing machines are cheap and widely available. But look at print quality, spelling, sticker alignment, and whether the accessories inside match what the manufacturer actually ships. A charger that looks nothing like the brand's own is a bad sign.

The step that matters more than all the tests

You can only run these checks if you have the phone before the seller has your money.

That is why the order of payment matters more than any inspection trick. If you have already transferred cash to a stranger's account, every test above becomes academic — you are relying on their goodwill to make it right.

With protected checkout on BuyChat:

• Your payment is held by BuyChat, not sent to the seller
• The phone reaches you first
• You run the IMEI check, the storage test, the screen inspection
• The seller is paid only after you confirm it is what was described
• If it is fake, wrong or dead, you raise a dispute instead of confirming — and your money is protected while it is resolved

Quick checklist

1. Dial \*#06#, match IMEI to box and tray
2. Run the IMEI through the manufacturer's checker — confirm the model
3. Copy large files across and open them (storage test)
4. Inspect screen, body gaps, screws, ports
5. Factory reset in front of the seller — confirm no account lock
6. Charge it and connect it to a computer
7. Only release payment after all of the above

A seller with a genuine phone will not mind any of this. A seller who objects to a five-minute check has told you what you need to know.