iPhones reportedly recovered from a sunken cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz are being advertised for sale in Iran at unusually low prices, with sellers calling them “war booty,” RT reported. However, buyers face potential scams and the risk of purchasing devices damaged by seawater.
The reports emerged after the Singapore-flagged GFS Pride sank on October 14. Videos showing iPhone boxes floating in the water subsequently circulated online, prompting reports of people searching the area for items from the vessel.
According to The Telegraph, hundreds of Iranian fishermen headed into the strait in small boats and salvage vessels to retrieve iPhones and French perfumes believed to have spilled from the ship.
Iranian Police Warn Against Cheap iPhone Scams
Iranian cyber police have cautioned consumers against advertisements offering supposedly recovered iPhones at low prices.
Colonel Javad Mokhtarrezaei, a deputy head of Iran’s cyber police, warned that scammers could use cheap-phone listings to collect advance payments or delivery charges before disappearing without delivering anything.
He advised buyers to inspect devices and confirm sellers’ identities before paying.
Even authentic phones recovered from the sea could have serious damage. Saltwater can corrode internal components, batteries, and displays, potentially leaving devices unreliable or beyond repair.
Registration is another concern. Phones that cannot be registered with Iran’s Hamta device registry may lose access to local mobile networks. Buyers could also be left without official invoices or warranty coverage.
iPhone 18 Claims Remain Unconfirmed
Singapore’s maritime authority confirmed that the GFS Pride sank and that all 21 crew members were evacuated safely.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the vessel struck a mine while travelling along an unauthorized route. Singapore said the ship was hit by an unidentified projectile.
The ship’s complete cargo manifest has not been released, so claims that it carried thousands of new iPhone 18 units remain unverified.
Fact-checking organizations, including Iran’s Factnameh and Al Jazeera, have also identified some viral videos claiming to show cargo recovery as AI-generated.
Iranian technology outlet Tech24 reported that fishermen it interviewed had mainly recovered shoes, perfume packages, wet cigarettes, and shirts.
One fisherman claimed he found two 1TB iPhone 18 units and sold them for 280 million tomans, but the claim could not be independently verified.
Tech24 also found that many advertisements for so-called “sea iPhones” on Iran’s Divar classifieds platform came from people looking to purchase the devices rather than sellers offering them.
