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.
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
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Click to collapse
I would get the ESN and call to see if they would activate it. That's what we used to do when I sold cell phone years ago.
The imei is the gsm equivalent of esn. Anyway, call them before you buy, and simple mobile is a T-Mobile subsidiary so if it's blacklisted on tmo it won't work on simple because the towers refuse to work with you. I say just call tmo and they might help you, but don't tell them you want to use it on simple because they might not.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk 2
No, it won't work on Simple Mobile, because Simple Mobile runs on T-Mobile. You're not allowed to discuss buying phones not owned by the seller. You don't own the phone if you pay the $200 to buy it and then stop paying the bills.
I have purchased CDMA phones on Craigslist for years now. I bought one phone with a bad ESN and learned the most important lesson with regards to buying a cell phone second hand...activate the phone before handing over any cash. If that means taking it to one of these places or meeting the seller at a place that unlocks phones (unless you have a laptop and the means to unlock it yourself prior to purchasing). Also even with the phone not activate it should still call customer service. Verify that the IMEI is good. If a seller acts shady when you tell them you are going to do this...save your gas.
how??
MasterGGM said:
Hey everyone, I have seen someone Samsung Galaxy S3's on craigslist for like $300 and their IMEI is blocked. Meaning either stolen, blocked, or the owner didn't pay a bill.
I honestly can care less, I just want to know if T-Mobile blocks an IMEI if I can still use Simple Mobile on it, or I will have to unlock it to use a AT&T or other GSM carrier. My main concern is for Simple Mobile though since it is my current network.
Also, I have heard of changing the IMEI, can anyone provide information about that?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
intrygue83 said:
How can it be blocked when its a gsm? if its stolen you jus pop your sim in it and thats it it still works.
blocked imei i never heard of. can someone please clarify?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Product F(RED) said:
You can block an IMEI like you can block an ESN now if the phone is lost, stolen, or has an unpaid balance.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
boda05 said:
I had a Galaxy S 3 stolen yesterday. There is no way for me to get it back, I can get over that. What I can't get over is someone having my 3 month old phone and being able to use it with no problems.
I contacted T Mobile on 3 separate occasions to see if they could block the IMEI number because I have the original packaging. I was told from 3 different account specialists that T Mobile CANNOT block the IMEI. Whoever stole my phone just has to pop in a new sim card and the stolen phone will work just fine, and there is nothing I can do about it.
If anyone knows how I can get my stolen phone blocked, I'd love to hear how.
Adam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
Product F(RED) said:
Escalate it and tell them you need that phone marked lost or stolen. They do it for non-payment, they can do it for lost or stolen phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
well..
boda05 said:
Thanks so much for the reply. On all three occasions I escalated the matter as high as I could. Have you had an IMEI blocked personally by calling T Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
intrygue83 said:
Sorry your phone was stolen but doing that is not going to stop anything. If it was password protected then they won't has access to it.
until they bring it to someone like myself who can wipe it and reuse it. Its a GSM so all i have to do is wipe it n pop a new sim in it and wola.
That's just how it is
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Product F(RED) said:
I'm on Straight Talk AT&T. I've never had experience doing that, but I know it's possible because people have been scammed and end up with lost/stolen/non-payment T-Mobile phones that won't register onto the network.
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Click to collapse
Yes I've read many stories about people buying a used phone from a person and the imei being blocked. I am just confirming/questioning that this isn't possible (whether it's a recent thing or ever) with T Mobile.
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
euklid said:
This seems like a good way for stolen phones to be blocked, but what about customers that report their phones stolen to t-mobile and then sell it on craigslist (I know a few people that do this)..the poor sucker that bought the phone will have it activated and by the time T-mobile blacklists the number they are left with a worthless phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People just neeed to do their research and take precautions. If you don't put in the extra time to figure out how to buy a used phone safely, you're going to be taking a chance - and you get what you get.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-develope rs app
Blacklisted
I work for a cell phone buy-back firm. Every since November of last year we have been running into blacklisted imeis. We've got phones coming back because the person who sold us the phone quit paying on a subsidized phone. Considering our agents call people all over the country attempting to buy their used or inactive phones, most people see us as way out. This hasn't been an issue with cdma phones because we can check esn. Two days ago checkesnfree.com added imei blacklisted. But what I don't understand is our audit department can put a live sim card in a blacklisted phone and make a successful test call. But when a customer tries to put it on an account, it can't be done. Can someone explain to me why this is. I understand the calls and text are using a different section of the tower than the data network uses. But any more than that I'm at a loss. Thanks
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
zelendel said:
IMEI blocking is only inner company at the moment. If att black lists an imei it will not work on any carrier that piggy backs att towers. Soon it will become cross company and global.
Wayne Tech S-III
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
juggalo818 said:
ok every one i have you this solved !!!! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE BAD ESN/IMEI ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS UNLOCK THE PHONE i have gotten 2 Samsung Galaxy S III and a s4 off ebay with "BAD ESN/IMEI" unlocked them and working fine on simple mobile !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would I unlock it, please share, I have a galaxy s3
Put in a sim from another provider and then search for an unlock code and your done its about $15-$20 normally
Sent from my SGH-T679 using xda app-developers app
If you have an att phone with a bad imei, would if work on lets say tmobile if its unlocked?
i see imei repair services but nothing for s6 active
my phone is fine for now but im running into money problems and i dont want it to be black listed and not work... thanks
1nsomnium said:
If you have an att phone with a bad imei, would if work on lets say tmobile if its unlocked?
i see imei repair services but nothing for s6 active
my phone is fine for now but im running into money problems and i dont want it to be black listed and not work... thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you purchase the phone brand new or second hand? Is the imei there or just missing? If it's missing it doesn't matter if it's sim unlocked or not it won't work on any GSM carrier if your imei is missing or has been black listed (reported stolen or for none payment)
purchased brand new but subsidized through ATT Next
I have 3 months to get it back on
I screwed up but found another job so ill be back on track
But yeah I was thinking of doing the imei repair method
its a service where it spoofs your phone with another imei to unblacklist it
1nsomnium said:
purchased brand new but subsidized through ATT Next
I have 3 months to get it back on
I screwed up but found another job so ill be back on track
But yeah I was thinking of doing the imei repair method
its a service where it spoofs your phone with another imei to unblacklist it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before changing your imei which is illegal I would contact AT&T and see if there is an arrangement you guys can come to. I suggest exhausting all legitimate means before paying someone to change your imei
I bought a samsung galaxy s5 off ebay 3 months ago. It would not update and i found it would not update due to the phone being rooted. I installed a stock rom and all worked fine. After using the phone for 3 months now the phone will not make or receive calls or texts. I called orange and they informed me the imei is blacklisted due to the phone being reported stolen. I paid checkmend for an imei report and the report has a red warning next to currently blocked but but under lost and stolen it says clear. I have also noticed that the imei on the back of the phone is not the same imei that the phones board has. I have opened a claim for a refund via Paypal on the matter.
My questions are as follows:
Do you think someone has changed the imei of the phone before I purchased phone?
When I flashed the phone back to a stock rom would this have changed the imei ?
My concern is that if I get refunded by the ebay seller or paypal and I return the phone would the buyer blame the phones imei problem on me as I changed back to a stock rom which has a different brand (virgin)
Thanks in advance for any help/advice
One post removed.
Talk of changing or altering imei numbers is not allowed on XDA, as it's illegal in most areas.
Members are free to offer ideas, but not tampering with the imei manually.
Thanks!
bolzy79 said:
Do you think someone has changed the imei of the phone before I purchased phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably not, since it is illegal and the seller wouldn't risk doing a crime just to sell a phone. I can't give you a definite answer though.
bolzy79 said:
When I flashed the phone back to a stock rom would this have changed the imei ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is possible., but unlikely.
bolzy79 said:
My concern is that if I get refunded by the ebay seller or paypal and I return the phone would the buyer blame the phones imei problem on me as I changed back to a stock rom which has a different brand (virgin)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't get a refund if that's the case. If the seller admits to have changed the IMEI before selling it to you, or if he didn't pay off the phone or etc., then you get a refund. This is very common, people would buy the phone and sell it right away, making profit and eventually leaving a blacklisted phone to the buyer. If his reason was that you changed the ROM, then he will probably win the dispute. You should ask for a return though, if you get a refund, then you can get another phone, if not, then you're just at the same place you're at right now.
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
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Click to collapse
Samsung lobbying $$$$$ at its best :good::good: