1. Bought it from Craigslist person.
2. Came with no accessories, no charger, no box.
3. Price was good.
4. I just inspected the device - looks fine physically.
5. Did not have the time to UNLOCK it yet, so I still don't know if it works.
6. Friend of mine called me (on my iPhone), says this:
"are you freaking kidding me?! Did you not check the IMEI before you bought it?"
My response:
"The IM-WHAT?"
I won't be able to ROOT and UNLOCK until tomorrow - but what if my Infuse is STOLEN?
My day is ruined. But how am I suppose to know there is such a thing as IMEI and it needs to be checked?
This is less of a question and more of a "heads up" to anyone searching the forums for information.
benyben123 said:
1. Bought it from Craigslist person.
2. Came with no accessories, no charger, no box.
3. Price was good.
4. I just inspected the device - looks fine physically.
5. Did not have the time to UNLOCK it yet, so I still don't know if it works.
6. Friend of mine called me (on my iPhone), says this:
"are you freaking kidding me?! Did you not check the IMEI before you bought it?"
My response:
"The IM-WHAT?"
I won't be able to ROOT and UNLOCK until tomorrow - but what if my Infuse is STOLEN?
My day is ruined. But how am I suppose to know there is such a thing as IMEI and it needs to be checked?
This is less of a question and more of a "heads up" to anyone searching the forums for information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you sure you need to unlock it?
tell the carrier you found it with no sim card (or bought it used may sound less fishy) and want to activate it. ATT should be able to tell you if it was reported stolen, they might even let you activate it. i guess that would be better than swapping in the iphone sim card and there being the potential that the carrier will link the stolen device to your phone number, though im not sure what they could do legally besides block the phone remotely.
is there a way(data base) to check the imei as reported stolen or not?
..........
AEDan1977 said:
well as much as it sucks for the end user who looses their phone, at&t doesn't track lost or stolen IMEI's. unless it was a display in a store, then you are screwed lol.... you can put your sim card in any phone even if it was a found "lost" phone and it will activate and work just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
You just saved me (I was so stressed about this, i thought it was $400 down the drain)
benyben123 said:
I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
You just saved me (I was so stressed about this, i thought it was $400 down the drain)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for 400$ you bought infuse without box,charger and cable?
350 was the infuse, plus this WRASPOL shiled (is it any good?), plus accessories.
But by the way, isn't that ($400) the price they go for on eBay?
CDMA phones are the ones you cant activate if they are stolen. GSM phones are perfectly fine.
benyben123 said:
350 was the infuse, plus this WRASPOL shiled (is it any good?), plus accessories.
But by the way, isn't that ($400) the price they go for on eBay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for 400$ you could have got infuse with box and original accessories and hopefully from a genuine seller(even on ebay).
Buying just a phone without accessories and chances are more that it is stolen or lost piece.
BTW: This model is WCDMA as well GSM and it can be unlocked to sim carrier.
Related
Hi,
I want to buy a phone from eBay (I'm not from US) and I found one, but there is a note:
The phone has a clean IMEI and is ready for activation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does it mean?
Greetings
linoskoczek said:
Hi,
I want to buy a phone from eBay (I'm not from US) and I found one, but there is a note:
What does it mean?
Greetings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
clean imie means the phone is not blacklisted or stolen.
ready for activation really cant be axplained mch further. just means it is ready to use as soon as you activate or put a sim in it.
there a good bit of scams on ebay with phones, you may want to try a more safe site like swappa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imei
A bad/dirty IMEI would mean either the phone was lost/stolen and reported as such (usually by the insurance companies), or that it was reported as lost/stolen, but actually wasn't, and the seller got a replacement or reimbursement for the phone and is now selling the original device.
Planterz said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imei
A bad/dirty IMEI would mean either the phone was lost/stolen and reported as such (usually by the insurance companies), or that it was reported as lost/stolen, but actually wasn't, and the seller got a replacement or reimbursement for the phone and is now selling the original device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bweN diorD said:
clean imie means the phone is not blacklisted or stolen.
ready for activation really cant be axplained mch further. just means it is ready to use as soon as you activate or put a sim in it.
there a good bit of scams on ebay with phones, you may want to try a more safe site like swappa.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you both for your answers! Good to know it means that, because I thought it's an info like "IMEI is 000000..." so I wouldn't be able to use this phone. In my country, I have never heared of dirty/clean IMEIs so that's why I asked you about it.
And bweN, I would use Swappa, but thirst thing, I can't find this phone there (Galaxy S Relay 4G) and second thing, when I found it today, the seller won't let the phone to be shipped to other country than US.
Thank you for your answers again!
Looking to buy used unlocked att or factory unlocked g3 on swappa to activate on straight talk ( I've also heard Verizon might work too?). I do not want to buy a fake! (A good camera and IR blaster are a must for me) I feel if I had the phone in hand I could tell but what can I ask from the seller to confirm its real? What if I ask for pic of page with sn,software version ,kernel etc What would I even be looking for ? Or can that page be spoofed as well?
Please help this newbie
wildmansgirl said:
Looking to buy used unlocked att or factory unlocked g3 on swappa to activate on straight talk ( I've also heard Verizon might work too?). I do not want to buy a fake! (A good camera and IR blaster are a must for me) I feel if I had the phone in hand I could tell but what can I ask from the seller to confirm its real? What if I ask for pic of page with sn,software version ,kernel etc What would I even be looking for ? Or can that page be spoofed as well?
Please help this newbie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot buy them for use on Verizon. Straight talk is several different resellers. But verizon no. Verizon is a cdma carrier. AT&T and factory unlocked phones are GSM. For Verizon you'd need a Verizon phone or sprint phone.
People DONT sell fakes on Swappa as its not allowed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
hyelton said:
You cannot buy them for use on Verizon. Straight talk is several different resellers. But verizon no. Verizon is a cdma carrier. AT&T and factory unlocked phones are GSM. For Verizon you'd need a Verizon phone or sprint phone.
People DONT sell fakes on Swappa as its not allowed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ill stick with att I know they work with st. As far as fakes not allowed we know people lie and cheat and not follow rules so is there some type of guarantee swappa makes that every phone is genuine? They wouldnt even answer my question about what happens when some one sells me thier in contract phone (wich at that point would have a clean imei) and then stops paying thier bill 3 months later and they block the phone? Wich is why I'm only looking at phones saying unlocked there again Noway to prove I guess. there's gotta be one thing to check or get pic of that proves its real
wildmansgirl said:
Yes ill stick with att I know they work with st. As far as fakes not allowed we know people lie and cheat and not follow rules so is there some type of guarantee swappa makes that every phone is genuine? They wouldnt even answer my question about what happens when some one sells me thier in contract phone (wich at that point would have a clean imei) and then stops paying thier bill 3 months later and they block the phone? Wich is why I'm only looking at phones saying unlocked there again Noway to prove I guess. there's gotta be one thing to check or get pic of that proves its real
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off as I said above AT&T phones WONT work on Verizon, which is what you asked. Yes they will work on ST AT&T, ST T-Mobile, but will not work on ST Verizon. If you buy it expecting to be on Verizon's network you'll be disappointed. Straight talk is sold across several different networks.
Well if you'd read about Swappa when someone sells there phones they HAVE to enter an IMEI for one and in which will tell Swappa if it's on a paid account EDGE, NEXT, etc. and which is not allowed there.
The only thing that could possibly happen is if someone reports it stolen after selling and In which there's no way to find that out.
I have sold a ton of things on Swappa as well as buying on Swappa.
Also if you would look at a phone listing you would see they have Feedback, which I'm sure someone that has sold a few + phones with no issues I'm sure Your not going to buy a fake or junk phone.
There's no real thing or pic to prove anything. I could sell you a note 1 and make it say it's a note 4 in the software but just a screenshot you might not ever know lol.
Also a bit of a hint unlocked phones cannot save you from that unless your in another country. If you have a dead IMEI on say a T-Mobile phone even if it's unlocked you still cannot use it on AT&T
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks
Thanks for the info! I may not be explaining well I'm not going to verizon I'm wanting to use straight talk who advertises you can bring any GSM phone when I called was told att brand works best. I thought the other was verizon but like u said that's CDMA maybe t-mobile was the other compatible? Idk anyway I'm happy to hear about the contract phone not being issue I had read that could happen maybe it wasn't a payment issue after all. Maybe it had been reported stolen after he bought.
hyelton said:
.. Well if you'd read about Swappa when someone sells there phones they HAVE to enter an IMEI for one and in which will tell Swappa if it's on a paid account EDGE, NEXT, etc. and which is not allowed there. ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure IMEI checks for ATT phones tell you nothing about the contract status of a phone, only if it's been blacklisted (lost or stolen)--
TMO phones OTOH will receive the additional information on EIP status, in-contract status, etc.
ATT should be forced to provide the same AFAIC.
You can use CDMA phones on Straight Talk. The kit you buy gives you the network info for CDMA phones and the SIM card for GSM.
Hello,
4 months ago I purchased a new Mate 9 from Bestbuy I have been using it off and on since then with no issues. I love the device, but had a very strange problem come up the other day.
I had switched to another smart phone, activated it and used it for a bit (vintage Amazon Fire Phone, just wanted to try it out) and when I put my SIM card back into my Mate 9 it wouldn't connect to the T-Mobile network.
I tried resetting the device and chatted with T-Mobile about the issue. They reprovisioned my SIM card but it still wouldn't work (although it would work in my Fire Phone). Finally the T-Mobile rep asked for my IMEI, and when he checked it he said it was "on the US blacklist", and couldn't be used in the United States. Obviously I was very confused by this, considering I was using it just hours before and personally did not report the device lost or stolen.
The T-Mobile rep went on to explain that because it wasn't a T-Mobile block, they could not unblock the device, and that I should contact the manufacturer. So I did.
After about an hour on the phone with Huawei, they setup an RMA to have the device repaired at their service center. They say they can unblock the device for me, and I'm hoping they are correct (or else I have a $600 paperweight more or less). I'm going to be without the phone for 10-15 days while they unblock the IMEI. Luckily I still have my Honor 8 to fall back on.
My question is, have any of you ever heard of something like this happening? I don't understand how this could happen. Obviously the phone is not stolen. I'm not sure how someone else could block the IMEI.
Any insight is much appreciated!
Thanks!
what?...
That sucks. I hope this is an isolated issue. I also use my Mate 9 on T-Mobile and just checked my IMEI numbers on swappa, both came out clear.
dustinbleh said:
Hello,
4 months ago I purchased a new Mate 9 from Bestbuy I have been using it off and on since then with no issues. I love the device, but had a very strange problem come up the other day.
I had switched to another smart phone, activated it and used it for a bit (vintage Amazon Fire Phone, just wanted to try it out) and when I put my SIM card back into my Mate 9 it wouldn't connect to the T-Mobile network.
I tried resetting the device and chatted with T-Mobile about the issue. They reprovisioned my SIM card but it still wouldn't work (although it would work in my Fire Phone). Finally the T-Mobile rep asked for my IMEI, and when he checked it he said it was "on the US blacklist", and couldn't be used in the United States. Obviously I was very confused by this, considering I was using it just hours before and personally did not report the device lost or stolen.
The T-Mobile rep went on to explain that because it wasn't a T-Mobile block, they could not unblock the device, and that I should contact the manufacturer. So I did.
After about an hour on the phone with Huawei, they setup an RMA to have the device repaired at their service center. They say they can unblock the device for me, and I'm hoping they are correct (or else I have a $600 paperweight more or less). I'm going to be without the phone for 10-15 days while they unblock the IMEI. Luckily I still have my Honor 8 to fall back on.
My question is, have any of you ever heard of something like this happening? I don't understand how this could happen. Obviously the phone is not stolen. I'm not sure how someone else could block the IMEI.
Any insight is much appreciated!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here is a scenario for u...Yes you bought it from Best buy legit, but the best buy rep is a scoundrel, and stole your clean fresh IMEI for 1 of his other phones he bought off a website. that other phone he bought was a blacklisted device too..so basically he could have stolen your valid IMEI, and used it for his bad IMEI phone. employees are people too and are subject to criminal actions.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk
djnikkofb said:
here is a scenario for u...Yes you bought it from Best buy legit, but the best buy rep is a scoundrel, and stole your clean fresh IMEI for 1 of his other phones he bought off a website. that other phone he bought was a blacklisted device too..so basically he could have stolen your valid IMEI, and used it for his bad IMEI phone. employees are people too and are subject to criminal actions.
Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, hadn't even thought about that. I'm a little ignorant I guess, I didn't know you could swap imei's on a phone.
n/a
: U.S. lawmakers urge AT&T to cut commercial ties with Huawei
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ercial-ties-with-huawei-sources-idUSKBN1F50GV
alcylon said:
: U.S. lawmakers urge AT&T to cut commercial ties with Huawei
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ercial-ties-with-huawei-sources-idUSKBN1F50GV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung lobbying $$$$$ at its best :good::good:
Hello,
Recently bought an EE Pixel off eBay, was told it would just need to be unlocked. Attempted to unlock it at a local (Canadian) business, no can do. Bought an ee unlock code from eBay, seller refunded it because phone is coming up as blacklisted.
What are my options? Is this just an expensive paperweight? My Samsung S7 Edge is beginning to give out and I would like to switch to this Pixel ASAP.
Using 7.1.2, bootloader is locked, I haven't done anything with the phone.
Willing to pay for this, please help!
Hello
I am in the same situation. Is there any way it can be fixed? Or there are just bricks ?
Thanks
Normally a blacklisted phone cannot be activated and no matter how hard you try to change it, it will remain blacklisted. A device is normally blacklisted because it was reported lost, stolen, etc. Always verify that the ESN is clean before purchasing a used device. You may be able to get help from eBay if the seller sold a blacklisted device with a deceptive listing...
Sammpo said:
Hello,
Recently bought an EE Pixel off eBay, was told it would just need to be unlocked. Attempted to unlock it at a local (Canadian) business, no can do. Bought an ee unlock code from eBay, seller refunded it because phone is coming up as blacklisted.
What are my options? Is this just an expensive paperweight? My Samsung S7 Edge is beginning to give out and I would like to switch to this Pixel ASAP.
Using 7.1.2, bootloader is locked, I haven't done anything with the phone.
Willing to pay for this, please help!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes it can be removed from the blacklist but that all depends on the phone, the reason for the blacklist and even still it can be expensive if it is even successful.
Edit: Your best bet is try to get it swapped for a good phone or return it through ebay or using buyer protection.
Look on craigslist or somewhere for techs who unlock, remove blacklist, etc from phones. They will change the emei for you but these people are hard to find nowadays as they don't have much business because everyone is financing.
arregnelle said:
Look on craigslist or somewhere for techs who unlock, remove blacklist, etc from phones. They will change the emei for you but these people are hard to find nowadays as they don't have much business because everyone is financing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice necroing this thread that's been dead for seven months.
Was anyone able to fix this?
I recently got it done in India for just over $50 and geeza did it on the spot within 20 minutes. and now its getting signal.
tom_hungston said:
I recently got it done in India for just over $50 and geeza did it on the spot within 20 minutes. and now its getting signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so can you help ?
roirraW "edor" ehT said:
Nice necroing this thread that's been dead for seven months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You were saying?
Hi, I would like to buy a used Pixel 2 off Craigslist and since I am not familiar with the Pixel 2 I hope you can help me make sure I don't get scammed.
I know I need to check that the IMEI is not blacklisted (can run it through the swappa IMEI checker). I can also probably put my SIM card in it before I pay to make sure.
I would like to buy the Unlocked (non Verizon) one. Is there a way to identify that they are giving me the non Verizon version?
Anything else I should check when I get to physically inspect the phone?
Thank you!
P
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Pilot1000 said:
Hi, I would like to buy a used Pixel 2 off Craigslist and since I am not familiar with the Pixel 2 I hope you can help me make sure I don't get scammed.
I know I need to check that the IMEI is not blacklisted (can run it through the swappa IMEI checker). I can also probably put my SIM card in it before I pay to make sure.
I would like to buy the Unlocked (non Verizon) one. Is there a way to identify that they are giving me the non Verizon version?
Anything else I should check when I get to physically inspect the phone?
Thank you!
P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One suggestion is to check the OEM unlocking toggle, and see if it can be used. If it's greyed out, it's almost assuredly a Verizon model.
Pilot1000 said:
Hi, I would like to buy a used Pixel 2 off Craigslist and since I am not familiar with the Pixel 2 I hope you can help me make sure I don't get scammed.
I know I need to check that the IMEI is not blacklisted (can run it through the swappa IMEI checker). I can also probably put my SIM card in it before I pay to make sure.
I would like to buy the Unlocked (non Verizon) one. Is there a way to identify that they are giving me the non Verizon version?
Anything else I should check when I get to physically inspect the phone?
Thank you!
P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest mate it is always risky when you have no warranty, the phone may not be blocked when you buy it but there is nothing stopping the person blocking it afterwards
What could they possibly stand to gain by doing that?
jdisco1 said:
What could they possibly stand to gain by doing that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people just suck.
Also, be careful that it's not one of the refurbs that you can't unlock the bootloader. Lots of folks have complained about this issue, and I don't believe it was ever resolved.
Amazon or Swappa would be safer options since there's some buyer protection. I'd also only buy a used Pixel 2 if the seller had the original receipt from Google to transfer ownership/ warranty.
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Agrre, be careful or use Amazon, etc.
jdisco1 said:
What could they possibly stand to gain by doing that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they have insurance, they can claim they lost it and get a replacement. The claim would get the original phone blocked. I work in a second hand retailer trust me happens a lot.
I really appreciate all this important information! Thank you.