How to know if the iPhone 5S on Craigslist is not stolen?

I wasn't to by the iPhone 5S in gold, brand new in a box with an Apple receipt.
Several of these are actually available on Craigslist for varying prices, which I don't mind paying, since the persons selling them actually did the dirty work of standing in line for endless hours. Or so they claim.
But, how do I know if these phones are not stolen property? I don't want to buy a stolen phone.

You have to take it on good faith that it isn't stollen if you ask the person, its in a box and If you can power it up without a password lock, I think that should be good enough.

Great question. Having the receipt is a good start, but of course a crafty criminal might be able to reproduce the receipts on a computer.
I buy 50-75 used and new iphones every month and I use a couple of different websites that are free to use to ensure the phones are not stolen.
The other thing you can do is call the apple store. Give them the IMEI or MEID number on the box or receipt (which should match) and they can check their database for you.
If you want to skip the call then go to one of the following websites and use their free service to find out if the phone is stolen.www.swappa.com - www.iphoneox.com. - www.checkesnfree.com
You'll need the IMEI or MEID which can be found under SETTINGS, GENERAL, ABOUT. Scroll to the bottom and the numbers will be there.

Hope that helps.

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