Database Users

NOOB Question LOL

hey guys pretty much a noob here. i got an alltel ppc-6800 for a really good deal. reason why i got it for a good deal is that it has a bad esn. what i want to do is reflash the unit and use a verizon rom on it instead and have it on the verizon network. big question is that i've been reading the wiki on how to flash, etc... but should i follow the steps for downgrading to stock verizon rom or what?

I think before you start anything you might wanna think it over. Are you using this phone for yourself because personally I would NOT try to activate a phone with a bad esn, you do realize they will need the esn correct? I would make sure Verizon will let you use the phone on their network.

first off, the ESN is BAD. VZ will not activate it. you would need a clean device (most commonly a broken one where you can still salvage a good ESN)
and take the clean ESN from the broken phone and swap it with the bad ESN on the good one. now, not only is this 100% illegal, and there is a fat fine and possible jail time for changing ESN's, but it is very advanced work. and if you are really a 'noob' as you stated, ESN swapping is reserved for those with technical knowledge far above us, and this process is way over our heads. dont bother with it. sell it on eBay and buy a brand new one.

aguas said:
first off, the ESN is BAD. VZ will not activate it. you would need a clean device (most commonly a broken one where you can still salvage a good ESN)
and take the clean ESN from the broken phone and swap it with the bad ESN on the good one. now, not only is this 100% illegal, and there is a fat fine and possible jail time for changing ESN's, but it is very advanced work. and if you are really a 'noob' as you stated, ESN swapping is reserved for those with technical knowledge far above us, and this process is way over our heads. dont bother with it. sell it on eBay and buy a brand new one.
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Not good advice. Plain an simple

yea i do not plan on cloning a device. way to much work. well i got the phone because the person did not want to pay for the cancellation fee so there is hold on the esn before any activation can occur on their network. It is not on a currently black list for "Lost/Stolen" phones. So really i can activate the phone on alltel i just have to pay the rest of the money, lol which im not doing. And my buddy at verizon said it maybe possible to put it on the network he just wants me to reflash to verizon and he's gonna try to add it to the network.

vlhoang said:
yea i do not plan on cloning a device. way to much work.
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No that shouldn't even be talked about on this forum thats just asking for trouble. I would NOT condone the replacement or changing of any ESN on any device its illegal period.

KDKobes said:
No that shouldn't even be talked about on this forum thats just asking for trouble. I would NOT condone the replacement or changing of any ESN on any device its illegal period.
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as i *clearly* stated. i was informing him of his options.
also, now that he said that the ESN is 'on hold' it's really irrelevant since he first stated it was a bad ESN, which are two totally different things.

Help!! How To Flash A New IMEI # ??

Hello,
I'm hoping someone can help me. I lost my phone (Vibrant - TMobile) and had to go through insurance to get a new one, the deductible was $130, then days later I found the damn thing but insurance won't take the new phone back and refund me now! So my cousin wants to buy it from me but when I went through insurance they placed the IMEI on the lost / stolen list which blocks the IMEI from logging onto the network rendering the phone unusable. I need to flash a new IMEI so that my cousin can go ahead and use the phone.
How can I flash a new IMEI? Please pm me
Thanks so much for the help guys, I'm really in a frustrating jam!!!
ALL YOUR HELP IS APPRECIATED!
---------------------------------------------
I called back and plead with them and they said they are going to review the case and get back to me within 20 hours! Whoo hoo, I hope they will let me send the extra phone back and refund me then my problems would be solved!

i wasn't aware there was such a thing as flashing another imei#

To me it sounds like you were trying to use the insurance to get an extra phone and it didn't work out so you decided to plead and come up with a Story. Changing IMEI numbers is not something legal or easy to do and i dont believe anyone here can help you, or will help you with the whole process.

minogue said:
To me it sounds like you were trying to use the insurance to get an extra phone and it didn't work out so you decided to plead and come up with a Story. Changing IMEI numbers is not something legal or easy to do and i dont believe anyone here can help you, or will help you with the whole process.
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How do you know that's the case. I agree it crossed my mind but never would I lost that.... rude..

temperbad said:
How do you know that's the case. I agree it crossed my mind but never would I lost that.... rude..
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"to me it sounds like..." its the way i saw it because i always get people telling me or friends to sell them my phone and get another one from insurance, therefore considering the phone must be brand new, people usually keep it with them at all times, so i came with my own conclusion. HOWEVER it doesnt change anything.
Changing an IMEI number is not legal and while it is possible, it may be a hard proccess...
To the OP:
Google It

minogue said:
To me it sounds like you were trying to use the insurance to get an extra phone and it didn't work out so you decided to plead and come up with a Story. Changing IMEI numbers is not something legal or easy to do and i dont believe anyone here can help you, or will help you with the whole process.
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Right, because it's not possible to lose a phone and then find it later. I'm gonna guess you're a "glass half empty" kind of person, eh?

dex1701 said:
Right, because it's not possible to lose a phone and then find it later. I'm gonna guess you're a "glass half empty" kind of person, eh?
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ohh Come on Guys.
No i am not that person, and im sure this is by far the first half useless reply i posted in my 400 post count as im usually very helpful with fellow android users. i do lose my phone in the house sometimes, and i know its somewhere in the house, and my friends dont really steal from me or any of us so i can fall drunk on their house and have them take care of my phone and even take my calls..
Point is, Even if you knew how to change an IMEI, you are not allowed to post it here, or in barely any forums or Sites. Therefore the Best Advice is to Google it and see for herself. at the very least. just sell the phone for repair or parts on Ebay and keep the new one....
OR
The IMEI has been blocked by all US GSM Carriers, sell it to someone outside the US using Ebay again and get more $$$$.
Is that helpful enough???

aw geez
minogue said:
ohh Come on Guys.
No i am not that person, and im sure this is by far the first half useless reply i posted in my 400 post count as im usually very helpful with fellow android users. i do lose my phone in the house sometimes, and i know its somewhere in the house, and my friends dont really steal from me or any of us so i can fall drunk on their house and have them take care of my phone and even take my calls..
Point is, Even if you knew how to change an IMEI, you are not allowed to post it here, or in barely any forums or Sites. Therefore the Best Advice is to Google it and see for herself. at the very least. just sell the phone for repair or parts on Ebay and keep the new one....
OR
The IMEI has been blocked by all US GSM Carriers, sell it to someone outside the US using Ebay again and get more $$$$.
Is that helpful enough???
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Geez, now you're telling her to sell it? How pessimistic can you get? Always assume the worst, dontcha?!?
Joking aside, if a phone was put on a blacklist, and it's found by the original owner....couldn't the IMEI just be removed from the blacklist in a legitimate (read: legal) manner?

It also doesn't hurt to try this, http://tinyurl.com/2un6urs .

leprasmurf said:
Geez, now you're telling her to sell it? How pessimistic can you get? Always assume the worst, dontcha?!?
Joking aside, if a phone was put on a blacklist, and it's found by the original owner....couldn't the IMEI just be removed from the blacklist in a legitimate (read: legal) manner?
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Click to collapse
Once it is blacklisted, theres no way from getting removed at all.

LordLugard said:
It also doesn't hurt to try this, http://tinyurl.com/2un6urs .
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its funny how the first link on Google is this Thread. Probably because you used the exact same question along with the exclamation points.

For some reason I was thinking that US carriers didn't blacklist imei numbers. Used to work with a guy that had access to some hot cell phones, they all supposedly worked with just a sim swap. Just att and t-mobile ones tho, no cdma.

justanothergirl said:
Hello,
I'm hoping someone can help me. I lost my phone (Vibrant - TMobile) and had to go through insurance to get a new one, the deductible was $130, then days later I found the damn thing but insurance won't take the new phone back and refund me now! So my cousin wants to buy it from me but when I went through insurance they placed the IMEI on the lost / stolen list which blocks the IMEI from logging onto the network rendering the phone unusable. I need to flash a new IMEI so that my cousin can go ahead and use the phone.
How can I flash a new IMEI? Please pm me
Thanks so much for the help guys, I'm really in a frustrating jam!!!
ALL YOUR HELP IS APPRECIATED!
---------------------------------------------
I called back and plead with them and they said they are going to review the case and get back to me within 20 hours! Whoo hoo, I hope they will let me send the extra phone back and refund me then my problems would be solved!
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Click to collapse
for all those that dont know a sim card phone can be stolen and used no matter what just place another sim card in the phone gsm networks run by the sim not the imei esn or meid

You could always just have your cousin say he bought it from craigslist, unless you have the same last name then it'd be suspicious.

imei problems with registration in turkey
Hi there
I know this will probably yield me a "no its illegal" reply but please hear me out on this. Im a good person!
I moved to turkey 6 months ago to work here as an IT teacher in an international school. I brought with me my lovely HTC HD2 which i had hacked using XDA software to now run andoid (was very pleased with my phone). registered my phone here with my passport. The phone then broke and while trying to fix it I snapped some of the internal data cables...
I have my old HTC wildfire here but cant use it on the GSM network as im only allowed to register 1 phone to my passport every two years!
I know its not technically allowed but i was thinking of changing the imei on my wildfire to that of my broken (but registered) HTC HD2 and was figuring if i got caught for it that they would see that the imei number is in fact registered to me anyway.
I have searched high and low for solutions for this. I found the Iwizard but I think that this was released in 2007 and my phone was released in 2010 so i am presuming that this will not work. also had some problems and questions about using activesync on my windows 7 computer along with presuming that I cant connect an android phone to activesync.
As I said before. Im not tying to commit a crime here but just trying not to go out and spend lots of money (and phones do cost lots of money here) on buying a turkish phone.
if anyone can help then please let me know
my email is [email protected]
cheers..

From HERE: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=276851
Many people often come up to me in the street and say, you look like a bit of a geezer (their words), do you know how to change my IMEI to clone that of another phone legitimately purchased within the state of my draconian governement?
I will typically retort with a chuckle, and then the following diatribe:
CHANGING YOUR IMEI IS VERY LIKELY TO BE A CRIME IN YOUR COUNTRY
Now, you may well be a pimp or snakehead already, so no worries relatively speaking, but understand that changing IMEIs can result in a prison sentence or castration, not merely a slap of the wrists. One way or the other, you won't be bending over in the shower if this is a crime in your country and you're found guilty. The law is there for a valid reason, if not necessarily a good reason.
Please check the law in your country before considering changing your IMEI.
You should note that in these days of heightened terrorist threats, if your phone is found to have a false IMEI and you also happen to have a beard and a beautiful tanned completion, you're likely to be spending time with wires hanging out of your orifices, so again, think twice.
I have no place to speak for the administrators or other moderators of the board, just for me, but my view is this:
The board is called XDA Developers. We develop.
The fact that you gets newbs, rubes and non-dudes on here is by the by; our raison d'être is to develop. That entails research and development, so for me, researching changing IMEIs may be a legitimate pursuit. Probably not, but maybe.
Next, recall that the administrators of this board researched and released pretty much the definitive solutions for IMEI changing, on older phones at least. That's part of the reason this board exists. I would be a hypocrite to jump on anyone else carrying the same flag. However, anything that will potentially get the board in trouble will be stopped.
So once again, lube yourself up well before considering changing your IMEI.
And please, be nice to each other, eh?
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Changing IMEI is NOT illegal in the United States. Just sayin

[Q] Question about general insurance terms.

Two quick questions about the insurance terms an conditions.
1. If you report it stolen or lost or whatever, do they send you a brand new phone after you pay the deductible or is it a refurbbed one?
2. If report it lost and order a new one, and you find the lost one(or you never actually lost it) do they deactivate the original one somehow?..or track it somehow?....or do they just accept your deductible and let you do whatever you want with them?

They send you what they have in stock at the moment. The longer a phone has been out the more likely you are to get a refurbished one.
The insurance company can't track it or do anything with it, you can do what you want with it and T-mobile won't care.
I advise reporting it lost, if you say it's stolen you have to submit to them a police report.
Good luck, let us know your results.

T-Fanatic said:
They send you what they have in stock at the moment. The longer a phone has been out the more likely you are to get a refurbished one.
The insurance company can't track it or do anything with it, you can do what you want with it and T-mobile won't care.
I advise reporting it lost, if you say it's stolen you have to submit to them a police report.
Good luck, let us know your results.
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Click to collapse
Thank you. Helpful information. Have you personally reported lost phone before?

T-Fanatic said:
They send you what they have in stock at the moment. The longer a phone has been out the more likely you are to get a refurbished one.
The insurance company can't track it or do anything with it, you can do what you want with it and T-mobile won't care.
I advise reporting it lost, if you say it's stolen you have to submit to them a police report.
Good luck, let us know your results.
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Click to collapse
I'm not sure but I'd be surprised if T-Mobile didn't blacklist lost /stolen phones.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Jaskwith said:
Thank you. Helpful information. Have you personally reported lost phone before?
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I have not personally, but I worked at T-mobile up until a couple of weeks ago.
Your insurance isn't through t-mobile, so they don't care if you now have another one all of the sudden. Your insurance will only allow two phone replacements in a year because they can't actually blacklist or stop the phones.

T-Fanatic said:
I have not personally, but I worked at T-mobile up until a couple of weeks ago.
Your insurance isn't through t-mobile, so they don't care if you now have another one all of the sudden. Your insurance will only allow two phone replacements in a year because they can't actually blacklist or stop the phones.
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Wrong! The phones can be blacklisted. Honestly if you do find its best to report it BC if you start using that old one or sell it then asurion can and will prosecute for insurance fraud.

sk337sk337 said:
Wrong! The phones can be blacklisted. Honestly if you do find its best to report it BC if you start using that old one or sell it then asurion can and will prosecute for insurance fraud.
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I just have a question, cause I'd like people to be clear about what they're saying.
How would Ausrion even know if you sold it?
I mean, I could understand you finding the phone and using it again..cause maybe that could be tracked. (Maybe.)
But what could be done about selling it? That makes no sense.
Unless you try to sell it by posting "Selling my supposedly lost phone" on the TMobile forums.

nguyendqh said:
I just have a question, cause I'd like people to be clear about what they're saying.
How would Ausrion even know if you sold it?
I mean, I could understand you finding the phone and using it again..cause maybe that could be tracked. (Maybe.)
But what could be done about selling it? That makes no sense.
Unless you try to sell it by posting "Selling my supposedly lost phone" on the TMobile forums.
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I am not sure what they actually do, but in theory it's pretty easy.
You claim the phone is lost
TMobile blacklists the phone's IMEI
Someone tries to register the phone on the TMobile network
TMobile and/or Asurion go after the account holder for the associated SIM
They show they bought it from you
No profit

chrisjs81 said:
I am not sure what they actually do, but in theory it's pretty easy.
You claim the phone is lost
TMobile blacklists the phone's IMEI
Someone tries to register the phone on the TMobile network
TMobile and/or Asurion go after the account holder for the associated SIM
They show they bought it from you
No profit
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Click to collapse
The phone can be unlocked to use on any provider.
So...wouldn't selling it as an unlocked phone give you a better chance?
And you could sell it to a friend and have them say they bought it from off the internet or at a pawn shop or anything.
I just don't think it's that precise. (Who knows maybe it is.)
Anyway. I'm not trying to prove there's ways around it. I just wanted to understand the statement better.
And is blacklisting a phone's IMEI a new thing? Cause I've had phones stolen in the past that ended being in use by other people. Nothing ever happened there. (And I know that because I found out who stole the phone.)
*Just curious by the way, not trying to start a heated conversation or anything.
Thank for the info!

The insurance companies are NOT as dumb as you think they are. Insurance fraud is a booming business and companies are always looking to minimize their losses against fraud.
I know this because one of my specialty fields includes loss prevention and fraud. They can and will blacklist your IMEI number and despite your noble efforts to sell to a friend who magically ends up buying that very same phone off craigslist [unbeknownst to you ] will get you in trouble.
Do the smart thing and heed the advice given here by people who know. Don't try to fool businesses or people who have been around the block way longer than your ingenious plan of trying to net an extra phone.
You're better off slipping in the Taco Bell parking lot and claiming an injury.

CBConsultation said:
The insurance companies are NOT as dumb as you think they are. Insurance fraud is a booming business and companies are always looking to minimize their losses against fraud.
I know this because one of my specialty fields includes loss prevention and fraud. They can and will blacklist your IMEI number and despite your noble efforts to sell to a friend who magically ends up buying that very same phone off craigslist [unbeknownst to you ] will get you in trouble.
Do the smart thing and heed the advice given here by people who know. Don't try to fool businesses or people who have been around the block way longer than your ingenious plan of trying to net an extra phone.
You're better off slipping in the Taco Bell parking lot and claiming an injury.
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Think I could get some more detail about slipping in the parking lot of Taco Bell?

Asurion watches your account and tracks people down if they see someone you talk/text has the imei of your "lost" phone. Trust me don't lie to insurance companies

But if you sell it on Cl and report it lost at a bar...? What can they prove?
sk337sk337 said:
Asurion watches your account and tracks people down if they see someone you talk/text has the imei of your "lost" phone. Trust me don't lie to insurance companies
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Sent from my MT4G running Gingerbread

So they actually blacklist imei numbers?
Sent from my MT4G running Gingerbread

Jaskwith said:
So they actually blacklist imei numbers?
Sent from my MT4G running Gingerbread
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Yes they do.
Sent over HSPA+ using XDA app.

Jaskwith said:
So they actually blacklist imei numbers?
Sent from my MT4G running Gingerbread
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I also noticed your sig says your MT4G is running Gingerbread. Wanna explain?
Sent over HSPA+ using XDA app.

Well its cm7... basically gingerbread.
CBConsultation said:
I also noticed your sig says your MT4G is running Gingerbread. Wanna explain?
Sent over HSPA+ using XDA app.
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Sent from my MT4G running Gingerbread

Better not do that. Just don't lie to insurance companies

I'm not advocating fraud, but last time I checked the two big US GSM providers (AT&T and T-Mobile) don't utilize an IMEI blacklist. I checked because I had a phone stolen from me and I asked T-Mobile to blacklist the IMEI and they told me that they can't (or won't) do that. They said the best they could do was deactivate the SIM card to prevent the thief from running up my bill. After doing some digging, I discovered reports of many AT&T customers with the same experience.

moto211 said:
I'm not advocating fraud, but last time I checked the two big US GSM providers (AT&T and T-Mobile) don't utilize an IMEI blacklist. I checked because I had a phone stolen from me and I asked T-Mobile to blacklist the IMEI and they told me that they can't (or won't) do that. They said the best they could do was deactivate the SIM card to prevent the thief from running up my bill. After doing some digging, I discovered reports of many AT&T customers with the same experience.
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that is absolutely true. USA gsm carriers have 0 interest in blacklisting for obvious reasons = more money in their pocket. You get to buy a new phone for more money and whoever steals/find the phone gets to pay the company even more money.
I have no idea what insurance companies will do, though, but I've reported a lost phone, which I'm sure someone is still using, got a replacement and never heard word of it being tracked down or something.
Best advice I have is call assurion and ask if, in case your phone gets lost, if they'll do anything to retrieve it. My guess would be a resounding NO unless you have a police report, a subpoena and a lot of time to waste on this.

My phone is marked as stolen? Wtf?

So I got a new phone right from bell a month ago via their insurance thing when I broke mine. Worked great for a month. This morning it said something about incorrect sim and to contact bell.
Call them and they tell me it's stolen.
I take my receipt and the warranty thing in but the serials don't match and they want to keep the phone. I grab it and leave. I've taken my stuff off it. And been on the phone it bell for like an hour.
Has anyone heard of this before? Do I have any options besides smash this with a hammer and buy a nexus 5?is it possible to get a resolution from bell customer support?
Since when have they been able to disable a phone remotely like that. I don't like that they can do that.

Jeffrey000 said:
So I got a new phone right from bell a month ago via their insurance thing when I broke mine. Worked great for a month. This morning it said something about incorrect sim and to contact bell.
Call them and they tell me it's stolen.
I take my receipt and the warranty thing in but the serials don't match and they want to keep the phone. I grab it and leave. I've taken my stuff off it. And been on the phone it bell for like an hour.
Has anyone heard of this before? Do I have any options besides smash this with a hammer and buy a nexus 5?is it possible to get a resolution from bell customer support?
Since when have they been able to disable a phone remotely like that. I don't like that they can do that.
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This is something you need to contact either the insurance company where you got your replacement phone or your carrier. They've been able to block ESN's for a while now....I know that they were doing it on Verizon, and I think AT&T does it now too...its probably just a matter of time before all do it. Helps prevent people from stealing phones if they know it can be disabled remotely by the carrier.

Heard there was a way to block ESN. but no way to unblock it. ...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

erstad said:
Heard there was a way to block ESN. but no way to unblock it. ...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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This is basically what I'm being told.
Being given a run around. Basically they may or may not have made a mistake and I'm out of luck. All my different paperwork has three different serial numbers and none of them match the phone.
So how the f does that happen?
I wish *****ing to bell got any kind of results, I feel bad for the poor workers I am highly frustrated at even though they have no power.
I don't know what to do. The one lady said to sell it to Europe. Or make it a toy for my kid.
I dunno what to do.

Jeffrey000 said:
This is basically what I'm being told.
Being given a run around. Basically they may or may not have made a mistake and I'm out of luck. All my different paperwork has three different serial numbers and none of them match the phone.
So how the f does that happen?
I wish *****ing to bell got any kind of results, I feel bad for the poor workers I am highly frustrated at even though they have no power.
I don't know what to do. The one lady said to sell it to Europe. Or make it a toy for my kid.
I dunno what to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you pay for it? Maybe you can dispute it if you used a credit card...other than that you are out of luck I guess

At&T blocked my GS7 edge

Hello friends,
So I have bought Galaxy S7 edge from Craigslist few weeks ago and was using it for prepaid SIM till I found out last night that my phone was blocked due to someone reported this phone was stolen. Is there a way someone can guide me the process to let AT&T know that the phone was not stolen, unless original owner wanted to make money from the insurance or At&T, not sure. Thanks in advance for your help.

The guy you bought it from probably isn't the original owner of the phone you bought from him. He probably stole it in the first place from somebody else. No matter how good his excuses are, there are plenty of maggots out there who dont give a damn about anyone else but just want your money.
P.S That is why he waited a few weeks before reporting it just to make it look good for him.

That sux. But thats a gamble u take being used and craigslist.

Go back to the seller and demand your money back.

I wish I could but seller is not picking up his phone or replying to my calls. I am dead in the water...

Out of curosity, If someone help me unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM , Can I be able to use it in USA?

Some knobhead did exact same to me after paying £500 in an ideal world ID at least have been able to beat the **** out of the scumbag
Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

iali76 said:
Out of curosity, If someone help me unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM , Can I be able to use it in USA?
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Click to collapse
Your IMIE is blacklisted. Unlocking will not change this, nor will loading a new rom. If this is an AT&T phone, then it's not even an option anyway, as you can't unlock them.
No offence, but your screwed.....

Yup, no recovering from this. You are screwed.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Unfortunately, this sounds like it's an expensive lesson learned.
In future, when buying a used phone from someone on Ebay, Craigslist, Swappa, etc, ALWAYS ask for the IMEI number of the phone. Then call the service provider that the phone belongs to and verify that the IMEI number is in good standing and has not been blacklisted.

You need to ask for they I'd so that way you can find them or report them ppl can sell you a phone then later on block it they can get a new one happen to me but you can try getting the Sim unlock and trying a small class phone company to see if they would give service anything like tmobile att they not going to do it