Related
Hi, i have brought a Htc hero from a market i took it home for 2 days it was working fine now i have found out that my hero has been lost/stolen and has been blocked, my country allows me to change my imei number and there is no law on this. i have searched the internet also and have found no luck. so could somebody please help me and give me a tutorial as i have only had the handset for 2 days and have not got very much expieriance on it what so ever thank you
you have a stolen phone ???
Im not sure I payed around £120 pounds in british money as i am british and now when i put a sim in it it is blocked and i have read i have to changed the imei number so would someone please tell me how i would be able to achieve this.
As far as I know you cannot change the IMEI number, it is hard coded into every phone as a way of tracing the phone if it is reported lost or stolen.
It sounds like this is what has happened in your case, you must have purchased a phone that has been reported lost or stolen.
The only way I have heard of getting it working again is to move to another country where they don't have the same restrictions in place i.e. USA.
Using or attempting to use stolen goods when you reasonably believe them to be stolen is a crime in the UK.
And changing IMEI number is also a crime.
Ruhani said:
my hero has been lost/stolen and has been blocked, my country allows me to change my imei number and there is no law on this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is definately not the case in the UK. See Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002
It might be my phone, mine was stolen and I would like to think that when I requested it be blocked (and made totally useless to the theiving scumbags and anyone else who bought it cheap) that it was blocked by them.
If you did buy it genuinly go and report it to the police that the dealer is selling stolen goods, you might not get your money back, but someone may get their phone back that they paid good money for.
gowzel said:
It might be my phone, mine was stolen and I would like to think that when I requested it be blocked (and made totally useless to the theiving scumbags and anyone else who bought it cheap) that it was blocked by them.
If you did buy it genuinly go and report it to the police that the dealer is selling stolen goods, you might not get your money back, but someone may get their phone back that they paid good money for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree here, the phone is pretty much useless to you now anyway so just hand it back to the police and report the dealer that sold it to you.
Thank you for the replys i have reported the dealer the police who in turn took the phone off me
Ruhani said:
Thank you for the replys i have reported the dealer the police who in turn took the phone off me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah there is always a chance you will get some money back, but you did the right thing.
If you paid on credit card you can claim it back from your card operator.
If you paid cash your less likely to get anything back.
On the upside, you might get some moneys from the insurance company, this is customary in Norway. Since they dont have to pay out the insurance now, you saved em money. If the guy who got his phone stolen had insurance that is.
Well in the light of all this i did pay from credit card and youl be thankful to know that my money is getting processed back to me via credit card (im a student thankgod ) and the phone has been returned to its owner who in turn rang me and thanked me and also will be sending me a reward by post. so doing the better thing is right and it pays too
Ruhani said:
Well in the light of all this i did pay from credit card and youl be thankful to know that my money is getting processed back to me via credit card (im a student thankgod ) and the phone has been returned to its owner who in turn rang me and thanked me and also will be sending me a reward by post. so doing the better thing is right and it pays too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome stuff, this is how the world should be!
Good on you Ruhani,... Karma comes back around,... Well done.
Sent from my HTC Hero using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
My gf's old phone broke, and I found a cheap HD2 on craigslist. I went ahead and bought it from the guy. He seemed ok, maybe a LITTLE shady. When I brought it home and told her how I got it, she became worried that if we put her sim card into it, and it IS stolen, a red flag will show up at T-mobile and she might get into trouble.
Is there any way T-mobile can tell who has the phone if it IS stolen? Also, if she ever has to send it in for a replacement through warranty, will she be screwed? I know I shouldn't have bought it off of Craigslist, but it's too late for that now...
Well, you could always call T-Mobile and ask them if it was reported stolen ....
Don't think they will call the police on you , If you tell them you are going to , but I bet they will want to take your name, just in case ...
Lol this whole thread seems shady as hell.
Sounds like the OP might be trying to fish answers for his own endeavors...
lol, i know. it sounds pretty bad, but i assure you, that's not the case.
they can tell if it's stolen. they can tell if more than one person has the same IMEI number. whoever was using the phone will have that IMEI on their account, and if your gf puts her sim card in it, they will be able to see the IMEI from the phone. that's done on purpose, so that if someone does report a stolen phone, and the IMEI turns up on another account, they can flag it. however if it was not reported stolen, then there isn't much they can do as they don't know whether or not the original owner sold it to you or a shady guy on craigslist sold it to you, so reporting to the authorities would be pointless for them, as it may have been a legal transaction. as for calling them, they're probably not going to give you the info if that IMEI is registered in their system, they may not even tell you if it is. but if it has been reported stolen, and the IMEI shows up under a different account it will probably be flagged, I'm not sure what would happen at that point. More than likely rather than calling the authorities they'll just cut off the service to the phone.
Try a prepaid sim card and see if it was IMEI blocked?
well, we put her sim card in it and nothing has happened so far. i suppose it was legit.
If you got it with box, supplies and cables its very low chance that it stolen. Actual price in my local craiglist is really low, but it doesn't mean that most of all are stollen
tmobile dont care if the phone stolen or not. it doesnt really matter.
Slash8915 said:
My gf's old phone broke, and I found a cheap HD2 on craigslist. I went ahead and bought it from the guy. He seemed ok, maybe a LITTLE shady. When I brought it home and told her how I got it, she became worried that if we put her sim card into it, and it IS stolen, a red flag will show up at T-mobile and she might get into trouble.
Is there any way T-mobile can tell who has the phone if it IS stolen? Also, if she ever has to send it in for a replacement through warranty, will she be screwed? I know I shouldn't have bought it off of Craigslist, but it's too late for that now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that were possible I would like to think they would have told me when my TouchPro2 got stolen... The fact that they didn't mention anything like that leads me to believe they can't tell just by the sim card.
i buy/sell phones on craigslist almost weekly and put my sim in all of them
when i call t-mobile to change the internet plan they always ask me where i bought the phone. i always say from t-mobile and they never say anything about it. guess they cant really tell
hope this helps
Slash8915 said:
My gf's old phone broke, and I found a cheap HD2 on craigslist. I went ahead and bought it from the guy. He seemed ok, maybe a LITTLE shady. When I brought it home and told her how I got it, she became worried that if we put her sim card into it, and it IS stolen, a red flag will show up at T-mobile and she might get into trouble.
Is there any way T-mobile can tell who has the phone if it IS stolen? Also, if she ever has to send it in for a replacement through warranty, will she be screwed? I know I shouldn't have bought it off of Craigslist, but it's too late for that now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I'm not in the US but i always purchase phones from US and UK on ebay.
Always when i buy phones which are doubt to be stolen or reported as stolen i use this site www.checkmend.com.
They are even recommended by ebay. They claim to have a connection to a database that has all the information on Mobile Phones, Laptops, GPS navigators, etc. Which they can track by the serial number.
In your case you will need to provide them with the IMEI number of your phone and they will give a report on the status of the phone and past owners if they are registered. (they send this report by email instantly. they charge you USD 2.99 for this service. i thinks its quite worth than the risk.)
in my experience I've tried this service twice and a HD that i bought from the UK was returned with a report that said "This item has been blocked during its lifetime by one or more UK network(s)." which means it was reported lost or stolen.
and i even tried my HD2 which i'm using currently which i got from US cos i didn't get any box or accessory with it. But the report came out clear and i am in peace of mind.
Hope this helps.
ruwan7 said:
in my experience I've tried this service twice and a HD that i bought from the UK was returned with a report that said "This item has been blocked during its lifetime by one or more UK network(s)." which means it was reported lost or stolen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
usefull site. does it give any detail? i blocked my last phone thinking i'd lost it, 4 weeks later it turned up in a friends sofa, so i had them un block it and used it for another 18months.
i guess that would give the response you gave above..
Someone mentioned the IEM number that is the way they can tell if its stolen. So when and IF you ever take your phone into the store to have the useless sales people help you solve some problem. That is how they will know if its stolen. If there is a way to tell by electronic signal Tmobile simply doesnt care. I asked when I bought mine and they told me to get insurance. I asked how do you know if I dont just keep the phone and get a new one for 100 bucks. IEM number shows up was their answer.
Your IMEI and sim info are constantly broadcast about the cell network, you don't have to go into a store for this information to be picked up.
http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis&sub=imeinr is one of the most common websites for checking your IMEI number (it's free), but do be careful with posting your IMEI/Serial number online at any site. Some are looking for valid IMEI numbers to use illegally.
Damn those shady Craigslist guys...
c2tmdsn said:
when i call t-mobile to change the internet plan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be mistaken but I believe that if you select the G1 unlimited data plan, then any smart phone you have after that will not need to be updated...I am using the G1 plan with my HD2 and it works fine. So maybe you can avoid lying to them.
and i am wondering a few things..
i have heard of some shady craigslist people selling IMEI banned phones. If i get one by chance..is it possible to change IMEI? or am i screwed with a paperweight. I have seen some RIFF-box tools claim to be able to do it, but this is a pretty new phone so I am not sure if its supported.
Will T-Mobile work with a customer that accidentally came up on a banned phone? Does t-mobile actually ENFORCE the ban on the IMEI? I know of some people that had a supposed banned IMEI and it worked just fine.
Any information will be greatly appreciated!
Rather than potentially go through all of that, try calling T-Mobile when you meet the seller and verify with them if the phone is able to used without issue and hasn't been banned.
Also, talk of hacking and changing ESN/IMEIs are not allowed in the forums.
ricky05 said:
and i am wondering a few things..
i have heard of some shady craigslist people selling IMEI banned phones. If i get one by chance..is it possible to change IMEI? or am i screwed with a paperweight. I have seen some RIFF-box tools claim to be able to do it, but this is a pretty new phone so I am not sure if its supported.
Will T-Mobile work with a customer that accidentally came up on a banned phone? Does t-mobile actually ENFORCE the ban on the IMEI? I know of some people that had a supposed banned IMEI and it worked just fine.
Any information will be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bring your sim card with you and slap it in before you hand over the cash. When I sold my Droid on Craigs List I actually met the guy at the verizon store to make sure he didn't have an issue getting it activated. Its not much to ask..
i completely understand about imei changing not allowed..
i was mostly asking if it was POSSIBLE..not how to do it really..but ok
and thanks for the reply about meeting the guy there..thats probably what I will do.
I've worked for tmobile for a long time, they do not block imei's.......that is sprint and verizon which block esn's. Your safe to buy the phone.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
You'll be fine with any GSM Carrier... Imei doesn't mean anything.
Just be sure your getting a Legitimate phone.
SmartHat said:
You'll be fine with any GSM Carrier... Imei doesn't mean anything.
Just be sure your getting a Legitimate phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless it is on their blacklist an a stolen phone.
I bought a Motorola Cliq from CraigsList about a year ago... Turns out the guy I bought it from was a T-Mobile employee who had stolen the phone. I got a phone call from someone at T-Mobile asking me about the phone. I gave them all the information I had on the guy and then asked what it all meant to me.
I was told that because I had purchased the phone legitimately and had done nothing wrong that I could keep the phone and that T-Mobile had no interest in punishing a customer for someone else being dishonest.
As someone else said, pop your SIM card in the phone when you meet and see if it works.
Make sure you check that speaker phone works. I bought mine from a guy on craigslist for 275 and the speaker didn't work. I could hear out of the phone speaker (the one in front) but not out of the one in the back (above and to the right if the HTC logo behind the phone). So just check that the phone rings, that you can hear speakerphone, and that you can hear music.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
ricky05 said:
i completely understand about imei changing not allowed..
i was mostly asking if it was POSSIBLE..not how to do it really..but ok
and thanks for the reply about meeting the guy there..thats probably what I will do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u change the imei then u will have one of someone else phone.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Can't the guy just report it stolen after you put your sim in to see if it works? This is the main thing stopping me from getting a G2 or Nexus on Craigslist. Will everything be perfect if it works when you put in your sim?
I would ask the seller to email the IMEI to me, and verify it with TMo. If all is good, double check it when you meet with the dude and you should be OK.
djsinco said:
I would ask the seller to email the IMEI to me, and verify it with TMo. If all is good, double check it when you meet with the dude and you should be OK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response!
but even after checking the imei with tmobile, couldn't he just write down the imei number and report it stolen after I check it with the sim and buy it?
The concern to me is that the seller stole it. you could have TMo document the IMEI search in your notes, that and a printout of the CL post would cover you.
Youll be ok. I've never hear TMo blacklist any phones...even ones that were reported lost/stolen.
You bought it...just keep records of all your interactions with the seller.
Posted from my HTC Vision via XDA App
I have purchased and sold numerous phones over Craigslist.
I would recommend that you meet in an area that is well-lit and very PUBLIC. I typically try to meet at a coffee shop or something. I have heard of horror stories in my area about people setting up robberies through CL so be careful and aware of your surroundings.
Spend a few minutes using the phone... I.E. make a test phone call, send a text message, test sound output, etc. If the seller is not okay waiting a few minutes while you do these things, hand them the phone back and find a different seller. If there is nothing to hide, this process is reasonable.
Thanks for all the responses guys but my main concern is with the imei number. What is a sure way to know that it will not be blocked later on by a person?
Bbe1367 said:
I've worked for tmobile for a long time, they do not block imei's.......that is sprint and verizon which block esn's. Your safe to buy the phone.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is nothing you can do to prevent a seller from calling customer service and giving them the IMEI saying that its stolen, BUT that doesn't have any impact on you.
ESN's are used on CDMA phones and those can be blocked to prevent service reaching a device. IMEI's do not work the same way. Regardless of whether or not the phone is reported as stolen, it would continue to work.
Just keep a record of your communication with the seller in case he tries to scam you down the road saying you stole it from him, but that is highly unlikely. Just be sure to check the device and make sure everything is working.
I take a gun with me when I go pay/pick up my item.
johnnyham89 said:
Thanks for all the responses guys but my main concern is with the imei number. What is a sure way to know that it will not be blocked later on by a person?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-mobile DOES NOT block IMEI numbers AT ALL,
Sprint and Verizon use CDMA networks, hence you have to give them your ESN number.... which they CAN block.
Since you are with T-Mobile... this scenario DOES NOT, I repeat DOES NOT apply to you.
just be careful about the phone itself, Making sure EVERYTHING works fine, scratches, dings.
Like somenone said... if there is nothing to hide than he WILL wait for you to test out the phone until you are satisfied. Meeting in a coffee shop or a public spot will do you good!
Sorry if my english is not enoght to explain my situation. Hope you can help me with my problem.
Well, like 9 weeks ago, my cellphone stoped to work normaly, I called rogers to asked what happened. At first they didnt gave me a solution, they just told me to sent my device to technical support. After wait 8 days, I received a call to go pick up my device, when I was there they told me that my cellphone was blacklisted. I didnt understand why because i bought my celllphone at rogers in october. So they told to wait 2 business day to get unblacklisted. After wait more than 4 days, my cellphone was still not working so I decided to call rogers to ask. They told me again to wait 2 business day again because the mistaked was did for Asurion who is the company who offer the device protection services. Asurion put my device in the blacklist for error. Well guys then a lot of calls and chats and till now I dont have any solution and I still pay for my cellphone. Im really desesperate because I work with it and I already lost a lot of money. I just called yesterday to rogers and they told me that they can not do anything because this case is now in the president office. I called asurion to times and they told me the same, they cant do anything. So what to di guys? Hope you can help me. Rogers already gave 2 value packs for free, its 24 dollas. I paid for my cellphone more than 100 because me and my family have 4 phones with rogers. Its not ridicul what they gave me?
Hope you understand what i want to explain and hope you will help me. I will be here to answer all the questions. If someone are thinking that this device is stoled I can send proof that the device is mine. No problem. Thank you.
You're going to have to hope they get it off the blacklist. Changing your imei is illegal in many countries.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Blacklisted Phone
negocios said:
Sorry if my english is not enoght to explain my situation. Hope you can help me with my problem.
Well, like 9 weeks ago, my cellphone stoped to work normaly, I called rogers to asked what happened. At first they didnt gave me a solution, they just told me to sent my device to technical support. After wait 8 days, I received a call to go pick up my device, when I was there they told me that my cellphone was blacklisted. I didnt understand why because i bought my celllphone at rogers in october. So they told to wait 2 business day to get unblacklisted. After wait more than 4 days, my cellphone was still not working so I decided to call rogers to ask. They told me again to wait 2 business day again because the mistaked was did for Asurion who is the company who offer the device protection services. Asurion put my device in the blacklist for error. Well guys then a lot of calls and chats and till now I dont have any solution and I still pay for my cellphone. Im really desesperate because I work with it and I already lost a lot of money. I just called yesterday to rogers and they told me that they can not do anything because this case is now in the president office. I called asurion to times and they told me the same, they cant do anything. So what to di guys? Hope you can help me. Rogers already gave 2 value packs for free, its 24 dollas. I paid for my cellphone more than 100 because me and my family have 4 phones with rogers. Its not ridicul what they gave me?
Hope you understand what i want to explain and hope you will help me. I will be here to answer all the questions. If someone are thinking that this device is stoled I can send proof that the device is mine. No problem. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Negocios,
We'd like to look into your unique experience to see if we can help. Please email us your claim#, mobile# and the best contact phone number for you to [email protected]. We will research your experience and contact you to discuss it further.
Thanks!
Asurion Social Media Team @AsurionCares
www.phoneclaim.com
ok, Ill do it and ill keep in touch with the forum to see what happen.
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?
Click to expand...
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