Fake BlackBerry phones flood Abuja

Weekly Trust came across one Chukwuemeka, one of the sellers along Kubwa expressway in Abuja and he said the phones are good BlackBerry phones and he sells them according to their grade. “I sell BlackBerry Storm for 40,000 and a Bold 2 model for 35,000, also I have good Nokia N series phones like N95, […]

Weekly Trust came across one Chukwuemeka, one of the sellers along Kubwa expressway in Abuja and he said the phones are good BlackBerry phones and he sells them according to their grade. “I sell BlackBerry Storm for 40,000 and a Bold 2 model for 35,000, also I have good Nokia N series phones like N95, N97, and N98”, he said. He also went to the extent of testing one of the phones by switching it on; adding that the phone has a pin code and it can be used to browse the internet.

 

Chukwuemeka explained that they get the phones from the wharf in Lagos and that it is good business because they make a lot of profit. When asked why they don’t have shops to sell their goods in so they can feel relaxed and not keep running after cars, he said getting a shop in Abuja city is not so easy and will cost a lot of money, adding that the money that can be used to secure a shop in the city can be used to invest in other good businesses. He also offered a guarantee that the phone is more affordable than the ones in any BlackBerry shop in the city because they buy it directly from the dealer that brings them from Asian countries like China, Japan, and Korea.

“The phones can do all the necessary functions that any BlackBerry you buy from a shop does like subscribing the monthly BlackBerry internet service and as well as pinging to chat,” he said.

Weekly Trust witnessed when a customer found the phones so attractive and decided to stop and buy, but upon further scrutiny, realised that the phones are not original, saying it’s a Chinese bootleg and totally different from the authentic BlackBerry. “I have never seen a BlackBerry phone that carries the logo of an mp3 on the body of the phone and has a big speaker at the back”, he said.

The customer also added that for one to differentiate the fake phones from the original, there are features to look out for. A good BlackBerry stunt phone goes for 50,000 while a bold 2 model of the B.B goes for 63,000 even in MTN and GLO offices in Abuja. He also said one can easily get convinced that the phones are real because the difference is not so pronounced. “People should be watchful when buying BlackBerry phones or instead, go to the nearest authorised BlackBerry shop to purchase one so you will not fall victim,” he finally advised.