By Chris Marzella

Copyright dailyrecord

Residents of Stirling are being alerted as the city is reportedly being flooded with a surge of counterfeit iPhones . An owner of an electronic repairs business has reported seeing three fake devices in September alone. These devices are allegedly being sold on the streets and traded in to pawnbrokers. Gav Macneill, who owns and operates Bridge Of Allan Tech Repairs from his home in the town , says that these forged gadgets are “incredibly good copies”, appearing almost identical to genuine iPhones. In a warning to customers on his social media page, Gav posted: “Please be aware, someone in Stirling is selling incredibly good fake iPhones, this is the third one I’ve seen this month.” He told the Stirling Observer: “There are a new batch of these coming from [a wholesaler in] China, being sold from street corners or traded into pawnbrokers as they are incredibly good copies. “I have seen three this month, this one is the best yet, even the weight is within a gram of the legit one. “Older people and those unfamiliar with Apple products would have no chance of spotting it, I work on these for a living and it took me a good ten minutes to figure out it was fake. “They use genuine Apple boxes, and then copy the serial numbers over onto the phone, so a check with Apple makes it look legit. Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. “The only way to tell is to turn it on, but by that point you have already put your details in, and the seller won’t refund you. The telltales are and Android logo in the corner of the screen on boot up, the camera sensor button is plastic rather than glass, and the cameras are low resolution” Gav further cautioned Facebook customers by saying: “They run a custom Android OS, cleverly disguised to look like IOS 16. “The only way at a glance to tell they are fake, is the Face ID sensors are glass beads beneath the screen, the third rear camera is a glass bead, and there are mould lines on the metal shell, which is actually anodised or coated plastic, when it should be milled aluminium. “Keep your eyes peeled for these, they’re incredibly well made, and with the serial numbers, check as totally legitimate.” A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “We are not aware of any reports or complaints about this activity in the local area. “Anyone with concerns about counterfeit goods can report this and receive advice from Trading Standards partner agency Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or at www.consumeradvice.scot . They can also report any concerns to our Trading Standards team via tradingstandards@stirling.gov.uk . Information can also be passed anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555111, or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org .”