A Malaysian man’s perplexing predicament recently caught the attention of social media users after he shared how his Samsung Smart TV was locked by Unifi due to an overdue bill. There is one huge problem, though: He didn’t buy the Smart TV from the internet service provider, but from a seller on Facebook Marketplace.
The man, Mohd Sani Johari, posted a photo of the locked Smart TV on the REPAIR BARANG2 ELEKTRONIK KONGSI ILMU public Facebook group, which quickly went viral, garnering over 4,200 reactions and 1,000 comments at the time of writing. The photo shows an error message on the device stating: "Your Unifi Account is Overdue. Your TV has been temporarily locked because your Unifi account has an outstanding payment."
Duped on Facebook Marketplace
Mohd Sani posted to the group in hopes that someone could help him circumvent the lock, clarifying in the caption that he did not know the Smart TV was tied to a Unifi package, as the irresponsible seller never disclosed this when he bought it.
He lamented:
"Bought this TV from a person selling on Facebook Marketplace… Turns out it’s from a Unifi package… Unfortunately, when the seller didn’t pay the bill, the TV was locked by Unifi through the Samsung Smart Hub. I want to find the seller but don’t know where they are now… Is there any way to settle this?”
For context, Unifi offers customers a lifestyle package for them to buy a variety of devices, including Smart TVs, with zero upfront payment via a 24-month 0% instalment plan added to their monthly bill. However, should the customer default on a payment, the internet service provider can remotely lock the Smart TV.
As it turns out, Mohd Sani is not the only victim of this modus operandi. Another netizen anonymously shared in the comments that the exact same thing had happened to them. The netizen attached a photo of a 65-inch Samsung Smart TV displaying the same error message, sharing:
"I was also a victim, so annoying. Bought it back in April, then suddenly last week it locked up. 65-inch sold for only RM1,500, sealed box with Lalamove delivery included. I still have the seller's details and have already messaged them, but they ghosted me. Just waiting for the right time; I want to see what response they will give."
Netizens react and offer advice
Elsewhere in the comments section, many netizens sympathised with Mohd Sani and expressed anger towards the individual who conned him.
Furthermore, many were dumbfounded by scammers exploiting zero-upfront instalment plans for quick cash, as such schemes will surely backfire when defaulting on internet bills ruins their CCRIS record, making it difficult to secure future bank loans and potentially leading to legal action.
Meanwhile, several Malaysians urged the victim to lodge a police report before seeking assistance from Unifi, noting that customer service line 100 cannot legally disclose account details due to privacy regulations.
On the technical front, some netizens suggested switching the HDMI input and connecting a third-party streaming device, such as a Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, to bypass the native Samsung Smart Hub interface. Others recommended taking the set to a mobile phone or electronics repair shop, reasoning that if technicians can unlock telco-locked smartphones, similar bypass methods might exist for Smart TVs.
A few Malaysians took a lighter approach, jokingly suggesting that the fastest way to regain access would simply be paying off the scammer's outstanding bill for them.
Ultimately, this viral incident serves as a stark warning to be extra cautious when purchasing devices from third-party sellers. With numerous brand-new, sealed-box TVs flooding online marketplaces, buyers need to remain sceptical. As several commenters highlighted, unlike smartphones, there is currently no quick way to check whether a smart TV is tied to an active telecom contract before handing over any money.
What do you guys think of the whole situation? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Saiful Ridzaimi (saiful.ridzaimi@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.