Before the default question is assumed - no I DON'T want to change the IMEI!
HD2 was sent to HTC repairer, and came back with a different IMEI but same serial number. Looks like they've reprinted the battery-compartment label as it matched the software readout. BUT - and here's the rub - the box and paperwork no longer match the phone.
Question is, could this give rise to legal issues, particularly if/when I sell the phone?
Should I demand that it's put right.
Incidentally, while they were at it they managed to convert a sim-free phone into a branded/simlocked one. I imagine the repairers replaced the mobo with an incorrect one. I can fix the branding, thanks to this site's howtos, but not the IMEI issue.
I don't know what country you're in, however here in the UK it is illegal to change your IMEI and can result in up to 5 years in prison.
I would therefore go to the repairer and ask what is going on. I presume you went to a reputable person. Though they would be unlikely to do this.
Maybe get law enforcement involved, as a crime has been committed.
I'd contact HTC first, and find out what is going on...Odds are they have given you a different handset, and just moved over the Software number. Call HTC is should all be logged and accessible by there call center staff.
About what I thought
It's the official UK HTC repairer. They say the IMEI is different because a replacement board was fitted. -Well OK, but then why did they reset the serial number but not the IMEI? And, why leave it with mismatched labels? If that is the only resolution when a board is changed, they urgently need to look-at their procedures.
"Thank you for your reply. According to our system, your phone is branded to O2 network but it has not got a SIM lock. We have replaced a motherboard in your phone and that is why the IMEI number in the menu of your phone does not match with this one form underneath of the battery. HTC is legally obliged to lock this phone. We can not unlock this phone without the expressed permission of the network provider."
Which tells me that firstly, they didn't read what I said properly. Secondly they are saying that they knew the phone was supplied to them as unlocked, but have locked it nevertheless. At least, that is the way it reads.
I'm getting onto Trading Standards about it.
Thx for advice, will let you know how this pans-out.
Related
Hello,
I'm looking to buy an Android phone off of someone in my local area and need some questions answered before I go any further. I don't know what phone I want yet, but I'm just worried as to if the phone is going to be stolen or not. Because I don't want it to be registered stolen and locked from the carrier few days later or something. Is there anyway I can prevent this from happening? I called Wind Mobile (That's what I'm planning to get either the phone fully unlocked or at least locked to Wind Mobile) and asked if they can see if the phone is stolen using the IMEI number, and they told me no. Which is odd because I did some research and some suggest to call the original carrier with the IMEI number to see if it's registered stolen. But since that's out of the picture. Is there any other way I can see if the phone is stolen? I'm thinking ask for a receipt of purchase of some kind, but do receipts show the serial number or something to show that it is that specific phone that was bought? Some people are also saying they have Unbranded phones which I know means that it is straight from a manufacturer to the public. So does that mean it is unlocked to all carriers? Is there still an original carrier? And can it still be registered as stolen to the company and remotely locked? I know even unlocked phones can still be registered stolen to the original carrier it was once locked to, but don't know about unbranded since there was no carrier in the beginning. (To my knowledge) Thanks for the help. Sorry for the long post, just need these questions off my back.
A proof if purchase would probably work, and also look at when the device was registered to make sure the receipt isn't forged
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium HD app
Hi,
In November 2010, I purchased a Samsung Omnia 7 from Computer Exchange (where they sell 2nd hand tech equipment) for the early adopter price (£425). It was locked to the "3" network but i eventually found a seller on ebay selling unlock codes from a user named nckzone and the unlock code worked nicely. However, on saturday I found that I was unable to make calls. I gave my carrier T-mobile a call from a seperate number and they told me that the phone has been blacklisted or in otherwords, it got reported as lost/stolen...
I was advised to ask the seller of the unlock code about the issue however he isnt responding.
I was wondering how to go about this situation...this phone cost me some serious cash and im not even due to get a new phone yet. What should I do?
I'm thinking about reporting this problem to the police since I have all my documents and proof but I hear its possible to change the IMEI number. Im really bugged at the moment.
Nerosam said:
Hi,
In November 2010, I purchased a Samsung Omnia 7 from Computer Exchange (where they sell 2nd hand tech equipment) for the early adopter price (£425). It was locked to the "3" network but i eventually found a seller on ebay selling unlock codes from a user named nckzone and the unlock code worked nicely. However, on saturday I found that I was unable to make calls. I gave my carrier T-mobile a call from a seperate number and they told me that the phone has been blacklisted or in otherwords, it got reported as lost/stolen...
I was advised to ask the seller of the unlock code about the issue however he isnt responding.
I was wondering how to go about this situation...this phone cost me some serious cash and im not even due to get a new phone yet. What should I do?
I'm thinking about reporting this problem to the police since I have all my documents and proof but I hear its possible to change the IMEI number. Im really bugged at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing you can do is go to the police..
check your phone's IMEI against what is written on the sticker / your box (to check IMEI type *#06#)
If it is different 100% that the 'unlocker' is at fault and he f-ed up your phone.
Otherwise somebody has created a false report with the police in which case the problem can be solved by going to the police and they can look up who filed the report and have it all undone (of course bring the box + purchase proof with you).
Also another good tip for many many people looking for (free) unlock codes. Don't post your IMEI everywhere!!!! Doing that will result in this exact situation and if you did this, all this is 100% your own fault.
take care
So we are clear: I am not talking about stolen phones. I am not asking how to change the IMEI on any device.
I am aware of someone who is involved in drugs, I know her mother but I do really know anything about her. It seems to me that she has some kind of scam going on with buying and reporting cell phones stolen. I really do not know the details of the scam, still putting the pieces together.
She took her mother's vehicle one night. Days later the mother was able to locate it and take it back.
In the truck was a lot of stuff, one was a receipt for four new phones on an ATT family plan. In the bottom portion it listed the same phones as the top portion with a statement regarding changing the IMEI.
I guess I am wondering if anyone knows what -if any- advantage there is to having the store change the IMEI of the phone you just bought?
Is this part of some scam anyone might be aware of?
I didn't even imagine that the store would, or could, change the IMEI before seeing this.
Interested story though!
Ok First off. Talks about this are not allowed on XDA. Now that is clear le me explain what is going on.
When a device is reported stolen/lost the carrier can put a block on the IMEI so it can not be used on the network. In EU they can do it so it doesnt work on any network in the area. By changing the IMEI (which is illegal in 98% of the world) This allows the device to be used on the network. This allows the device to be resold as a working device. Only the OEM has the rights to change these numbers. And I dont mean the phone OEM I mean the OEM for the main board which is where this number is hard coded.
I would stay as far away from this girl as you can. She is gonna get you caught up in more drama then you know.
Thread closed
I bought my droid ultra for $150 off of craigslist, I checked the serial and IMEI and everything was fine. now after this morning, the phone all of sudden says out of service, and when i go online to check out the IMEI it says it is blacklisted..
Is there a IMEI unlocker for this phone? or anything i can do? I might just throw it on Ebay and call it a day...
Sounds like someone sold it then called it in as stolen or lost, if you can contact the seller it's worth finding out although they'll more than likely avoid you like the plague. Don't use the contact info you did when you reached them, use a different email/phone number if possible, you might get lucky.
Aside from that and maybe getting somewhere in that respect (probably not going to happen but there's always a chance) the phone is effectively dead to you in terms of being used but it depends on the carrier.
If you're checking it against Verizon (which calls it the ESN) and it shows as blacklisted that doesn't mean it can't be used with GSM carriers since the Ultra/MAXX/Mini are all GSM unlocked. The IMEI (which is what GSM carriers refer to it as) could still be potentially "open" and not blacklisted.
Worth checking out. There is still no one single "blacklist" that every cellular carrier in the world checks or reports their ESN/IMEI numbers to or with - it's a crap shoot but worth finding out.
Other than those possibilities, if you can't get anywhere then dump it. Changing the ESN/IMEI is possible but requires pretty specific hardware (JTAG stuff iirc) to get it done and even then it's basically flat out illegal to do it so, it's always possible that you could go through all the crap to make it work on a network and then get popped for it just the same.
Good luck...
Hi my cousin recently bought a phone from a classmate (she is not very saavy), she said the price was good, but after finding out more info she found out that the classmate bought the phone from a local big box store and returned an older phone back to the retailer in the new phone's box. So the older phone will likely be going back to the manufacturer, and I told her that her new phone (which is a factory unlocked GSM device) may become blacklisted when the manufacturer receives the box for the new phone and they see that the returned phone's IMEI does not match the IMEI on the box. Was I correct in what I told her? I realized afterward that most blacklists and bad ESN/IMEI's come from the carriers, so I'm not sure if manufacturers would blacklist IMEI's or if they even could possibly do that for factory unlocked GSM phones...
Aside from her returning the phone to the classmate, etc. which I advised her to do -- I'm still curious about the inquiry - thanks for any advice you can provide..
May be it is quite possible but i don't know much about this.
Yes what you told her is correct. The oem can report it to the companies that blacklist devices and the carriers.