Selling an old smartphone may look simple, but one small mistake can expose your personal data, bank details, photos, and even your identity. In recent years, several cases have emerged where people faced financial loss or online fraud after selling their old phones without proper checks.
Experts and cybercrime officials repeatedly warn that phones store far more data than we realise.
In 2023, a cybercrime case reported in The Times of India showed how a man sold his old phone without logging out of apps or wiping data properly. In that reported case, a phone trader lost nearly ₹86,000 after buying used phones that were later discovered to be tied to unpaid EMIs and locked remotely, leaving him stuck with unusable devices. The buyer later accessed his email and payment apps, leading to unauthorised transactions. Police later said the fraud could have been avoided with basic precautions.
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Simple checklist to follow before selling your old phone
Back up your data
Before doing anything, take a full backup of your phone. Save contacts, photos, videos, messages and documents to cloud storage or a computer. This ensures you don’t lose important information forever.
Log out of all apps
Manually log out of email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Apple ID, banking apps and payment wallets. Many people forget this step, which can give the next user access to sensitive accounts.
Remove SIM and memory card
Always remove your SIM card and SD card. These store contacts, messages and sometimes personal files do not get erased during a factory reset.
Do a factory reset properly
Perform a full factory reset only after logging out of accounts. For extra safety, encrypt the phone first and then reset it. This makes data recovery extremely difficult.
Keep proof of sale
Whether you sell online or offline, keep a receipt, screenshot, or written proof mentioning the phone’s IMEI number. This can help if the device is misused later.
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In many cases, it has been found that cybercriminals extract personal documents from old phones that are sold. Using bank-related information stored on these devices, money is then withdrawn from accounts.
Recently, after multiple complaints of such incidents were filed with the police across several states, investigators have issued warnings on the matter. People are being advised not to sell old phones and instead destroy them to prevent misuse.
Cyber fraud is increasing day by day, and many people unknowingly fall into such traps. Several victims are also unsure about where or how to file complaints. Experts are addressing questions related to cybercrime, while health specialists are answering queries on various everyday health issues. Questions can be sent via WhatsApp to 6291457276.
