With the BlackBerry craze still very much alive especially here in Nigeria, it’s quite easy to fall for con sales men and spend your hard earned cash on unauthentic blackberry phones.
If you’re serious about getting a new blackberry phone, you’re greatly advised to only buy from Authentic Authorized BlackBerry Dealers.
From my understanding, fake phones are easily detectable just by observing the packaging and body work of the mobile phone. Like we have NOKLA instead of NOKIA. lol. Photocopy packaging is also a dead giveaway.
Now using the unique 17 or 15 digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number of the mobile device, one can easily tell if it’s of a bad quality or good quality.
NOTE: I got this tutorial from a friend via BlackBerry Messenger so I can’t really say how authentic it is but feels good to know that my BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 is a high quality limited edition made in Canada. By the way, I bought it from Slot Systems in Lagos when it was just N38,000 ($244). Price has risen to N41,000 ($263) now probably due to massive demand as it’s the cheapest 3G enabled BlackBerry in the country.
HOW TO DETECT POOR QUALITY BLACKBERRY PHONES
First of all dial *#06# to get a display of 15 digits IMEI number of your BlackBerry phone’s display. Example: 316725.10.4690216. The 7th and 8th numbers in between the dots are important numbers here and represent the FAC of the device.
The Final Assembly Code (FAC) is a manufacturer-specific code indicating where the various parts of the device was assembled. From what I understand, countries are given this code based on the quality standards available.
Bad quality phones could be hazardous to your health and as such checking a mobile device’s IMEI number is essential before buying.
Below are the FAC digits for some countries.
Please share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and StumbleUpon so they are aware!
Thanks 
.
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Please rate & share this article to help others. Thanks
ℓ think ℓ found a little tricky tip ℓ used in confirming an original blackberry from clone, or false.
All ♈̷̴̩☺υ need do is add your pin in your blackberry messenger, if it bounce back and shows your contact then its is original, but if ♈̷̴̩☺υ happen to see multiple pin or someother persons contact it is false blackberry. Try and see.
Am using a curve 4 blackberry and my imei 7th and 8th numbers 05 and its not in the list.so is it fake
@Prince: do please note that this article is just for fun. As long as you bought your BlackBerry phone from an authorized dealer, you can b rest assured that it’s genuine.
Please I just got a bb9790 (bold 6). However, it does not have the ORIGINAL BLACKBERRY SMARTPHONE symbol at start up as I have seen with a couple of these model. Does that make it fake. Please advise.
@GB: if memory serves me right, I think that ORIGINAL Blackberry smartphone symbol started with OS7 devices. I don’t think phones that were in stock prior to OS7 had them.
At least my Curve 3 9300 didn’t have it when I bought it from Slot
So bro u just advice us about phones?
@micheal: yep. that’s what I do here. I only share tips man. I ain’t into the buying and selling bizness
How can I get a good blackberry from u brother am in uganda tx?
@Nsereko: sorry sir but we don’t sell phones
Please my imei code is 05..please what country is that.and also please how does vendor ID tell where the country where the phone is made cos my vendor I’d is 142 and I bought my bb9900 for 77,ooo..pls help
@Dora: like I said in the article above, I don’t know how authentic this is. As long as you bought yours from an authorized BlackBerry dealer, I think you’re definitely good to go ;-)
how about the 7th and 8th imei is 05?
This info was provided for fun purposes only. Do please take it with a grain of salt and to be sure you’re getting an original blackberry device, I highly recommend that you buy only from authorized dealers nationwide
pls disregard d earlier comment. i saw on a bold 5 pack that it was made in mexico yet the imei was 04 for canada. does it mean that where it was ‘made’ is different from where it was ‘packaged’ in which case the imei may not be a reliable way of knowing if the phone is fake. even codes can be copied
how can i tell if the blackberry is fake before buying? from what you posted it’s after buying u check the code. i doubt the dealers would let someone put the phone on b4 buying and returning after payment is equally difficult if not impossible.
This post was provided for entertainment purposes in a way. Just make sure you are buying from an authorised dealer. Are you from Nigeria? If you are do check out SLOT SYSTEMS in computer village ikeja
The message isn’t authentic. It originally started off as a nooks related message hence why Finland is rated as the best.
Thanks for the clarification man. I guessed as much it wasn’t authentic but i just shared it for fun sha. By the way thanks for your contribution on ipad settings for Glo internet. Here’s the result of your submission: https://www.patchworkoftips.com/glo-nigeria-ipad-iphone-internet-settings-connection/868/. Thanks a lot.
hey bros,
sorry about the type on the bb thread, i meant nokia (na ipad autocorrect am to nooks)…
love the ipad/iphone article…
if you need anything else, just send me an email.
LOL. I guess Apple doesn’t want their business to shift to Nokia ;-). Thanks man
Tanx sir!
You’re welcome
Mine is 03 is it fake? and plz how can i download bb apps world?
I don’t how true this fake thing is but as long as your BB functions like every other one out there, you are good to go. Just search for blackberry app world via your default web browser
The issue of 7th and 8th number being 10 is completely false and fetish because I have used different models of BB and they all have different middle IMEI numbers,am presently using a Vodafone Storm 9500 with 02 as IMEI middle number. Fake blackberry phones do not download blackberry world applications launcher or icon s they will not connect to Verizon or other. authorized network wireless network because MTN,Airtel and Glo have to reconnect you to the network they are afflicted to. Using a fake BB..,you will no be able PIN users outside Nigeria who are on secured network like Awt & T or T-Mobile,so knowing if your BB is fake is simple. To learn more email me on: chuckcollinse@gmail.com
I revised the article and changed it from fake to poor quality. Just like you said Fake blackberry phones do not download blackberry world applications etc. Anyway, I got the info from a friend so I ain’t claiming it’s authentic. Thanks for your input. ;-)
Chukwudi,I like your bravery and your willingness to help out lovers of Blackberry,its commendable.
I have used storm with different IMEI middle numbers and the one with 02 IMEI middle number which am presently using is fantastic and therefore cannot be refers to as being poor,its reproduces all your text messages stored in your SIM the moment your insert your SIM into the phone with the AIRTEL browser automatically poping up on the home screen.
For all the BB I have used,its only this Storm 9500 with 02 IMEI that does that.That I think is of the highest quality and not poor quality.
Please desist from promoting your business when commenting on my site. Thanks ;-)
stop criticizing those who are giving us information because you don’t have anything to give to us here.Why do you say we should email you?if you can not paste it here then go to hell with it.
I do not agree completely.The 7th & 8th number of my BB is 00,and it is definitely an original assembled in Mexico.the notion that some BBs are better than others depending on country of origin is also false as they all pass through the same quality standard tests.
Ooops! I missed 00 in the list. 00 is best quality. 01 is the same as 10 which is Very Good quality.
is that works to all cellphone or for blackberry alone?
I think all phones
thanks for the info for those of us who dont have yet, but planning to get one. those ones from asia and germany are ratted bad and good respectively, are respectively, are those ones not made by RIM or what?.is the quality a function of country region or price? Infact u have given some of us a very good tip about BB. Dis mean we can be having the same BB and one is “best” while
the other is “good”. Thanx once more bro.
I think depending on where the phone was assembled, the quality varies. High quality Nokia phones come from Finland as I hear. For BlackBerry, the best would be Canada where the company is based.