Hello,
I am wanting to find a way to make LEGAL cash and have no intention in breaking any laws whatsoever.
Say you have a phone (Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, etc) and it has been blacklisted and cannot be used with another carrier. What if i buy an S4 (or whatever) with a good IMEI or ESN but its broken (screen cracked wifi dont work, etc) and apply the ESN or IMEI to the blacklisted phone? Is this illegal?
I read that it is illegal to do this if you are intentionally applying an ESN to a phone in order to spy on someone, etc. but the ESN i would use to make the black listed phone work would come from a completely destroyed phone (but has a good ESN) and would most likely be taken apart and sold piece by piece after applying the ESN/IMEI to the phone being repaired.
I also read that you can unlock a phone to be used internationally if it is blacklisted in the U.S. and it would work for carriers overseas but that may change soon.
Is there any way that doing this type of thing would NOT be illegal? Is there any websites with up to date information you guys can recommend so i can read up on this? Any recommendations (besides ebay) to find destroyed phones with verified good IMEI/ESN numbers would get great as well.
I would like to start a side business as i love tinkering with phones/computers/tablets etc. plus the extra money would be nice.
I need some extra cash and i know that i would most likely have to purchase an expensive program like CDMA Workshop or something like that in order to legally transfer IMEI/ESN information but i would like to start a business doing this to make some extra cash on the side, but LEGALLY.
Any information on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Related
If I buy my [hermes] phone (as in not free), do I own enough of the phone for it not to be barred if I come to end my contract (whether in agreement with them or out of terms)?
Of course the phone is still probably subsidised, but probably covers the cost of their bulk trade prices anyhow (£100).
Can they still barr it, or is owning at least "some" of the phones value enough to stop them bothering?
various countries various rules but i never heard of a country who blocked phones imei
but phones are often sim locked so one have to simnlock them
click xda-wiki and find your phone and look how you sim unlock it
thanks, but i mean like for example if i refuse to pay my contract (for legitimate reasons) or I actually cant or something like that. I assumed they would brick the phones imei.
Or is that only if you report it lost.stolen?
only if reported stolen as far as i know
but if you dont pay your bill i'd imagien they would
sue you or send a repoman around he might take your phone
and maybe your tv and or pc
Hi All,
New member (to state the obvious). Sorry if this is in the wrong place.
Will try to cut a long story short.
The company I work for has aquired the book from a competitor that fell victim to the current financial downturn in the UK.
We have been doing sell offs from various sites around the county.
At one of the sites I found 3 Xda Orbits with all the bits, I assume they belonged to the staff that worked there. They worked for about 3 weeks then suddeny they lost the phone service yesterday. After near 24 hours of reading mostly on here I have come to the following.
1. the bill has not been paid so the phones are suspended.
2. They have been reported lost or stolen and have been blocked.
I don't need the devices as phones as I have a blackberry for work.
I can however make use of one or all as access points on my home network for controlling my media pc and doing away with the wireless keyboard and mouse and need for my laptop when I am in other rooms.
Can you guys please advise me on the following.
If the handsets have been reported lost or stolen do I run the risk of trouble by keeping hold of them. (under the terms of the purchase of the book all assets that remain after the administrators left belong to us).
If it is just a case of unpaid bills then do I have a duty to return them to the provider?
Not a techy type so this is a very gray area for me.
Many Thanks
Mike
(I bet you never expected to be answering this type of question)?
Thats a nice mess you got there.
If the devices have been reported lost or stolen then they are usually rendered useless. Normally you will be in trouble if they have been reported stolen but this is a different scenario. Simply put another sim card in and see if the phone can connect to the network. You might need to unlock the device if you are inserting a SIM from any other operator.
In the case of unpaid bills, you do not have to return them. I am guessing your company owns the contracts now as well so you guys might have to pay the bills anyway. You might want to check the contract terms though before you decide to keep them.
And what a waste for those great phones; access points?
Why not check to see if the phones are insured and if they were reported lost / stolen then maybe they can be replaced. As above try a different sim card and as i understand it, the phones wont be sim locked or at least mine weren't. If you want to solely use the devices to connect to an access point then there should be no problem as the operators blocking (blacklisting) works by preventing the device connecting to a base station and therefore preventing telephony.
If I buy a NEW phone on ebay (example HTC Touch Pro or Blackberry Storm), and it is defective, could I go to a Verizon store and return or exchange it without a receipt (assuming I still have the box).
Does anyone know if this is possible?
Hi. Keep in mind I'm sure they track serial #'s / ESN's & such so even if they are nice enough to exchange it (which I've never had the gonads to try) you run the risk that the phone was reported stolen, is under contact on someone else's account or who knows what, you're standing there with your pants down. Then again I suppose they wouldn't let you activate the phone on your account if those were true.. (Sorry I've been in the GSM world too long where you move your SIM as needed.) Anyway I'd say you're taking some big chances there since they surely link phones with accounts or service it was purchased with. I'd love to hear of anyone who has succeeded in this.. It's not like you're buying a toaster & returning it to Kmart for a merchandise credit or something. lol
Bill
by the phone being on someone else's account, does that mean for example they bought the phone at the 2yr contract price only to turn it around and sell it on ebay for profit?
The ebay buyer did nothing wrong in that case, the ESN was clean and ebay purchased cells are easily activated.
thanks for responding.
Yeah that's what I meant but you are assuming best case scenario.. As I said who knows, the phones could have been stolen from a reseller or dealer (I do computer support for a sprint/nextel dealer & they've had many stolen even by employees who turn around & sell them on ebay. The store definitely figures it out eventually & they get reported as stolen & flagged. Maybe within days or weeks or months.) or who knows. That is one of biggest risks of buying off ebay. You may not know the history. Not trying to scare you just saying remember you'll be the one in the store holding stolen merchandise. Again, you risk the same trying to add the phone to your account so I guess they'll track you down either way. lol
As far as your original question, I wish I could say I knew but I don't. I assume there is virtually 0 chance of a return with refund and only a slight chance of an exchange assuming the phone is not flagged & you have a good story. Maybe someone else could chime in who has tried it. Again we are talking expensive phones normally bought with a contact linked to an account so easily traceable so don't be surprised if they scan it in & call you by the name of the guy who sold it to you. lol
Bill
It's just amazing that Verizon makes it so hard to upgrade your phone before your contract is up (even if you're willing to pay full price!!). The only way you can really do it is by buying a phone off of ebay and activating it yourself.
Yeah I'd imagine. That is one nice thing about GSM: Just move your SIM, assuming the phone isn't locked to another carrier which is usually pretty easy to get unlocked. I have bought about 50 phones off ebay (That would have been like 2 had I needed to call AT&T every time I wanted to switch! lol) & for the most part I've had pretty good luck with some duds. (Incompatible model missing 850 band, broken or more worn than expected) If you are in a pinch you might not have much choice but just make sure you buy from someone with high & good feedback & you should be OK. Better yet make sure they have a good return policy or even their own warranty. Not sure if the trick will work for you but I've bought 'Pay as you go' phones & put my SIM in when I needed a phone quickly. Maybe verizon has such a thing too but the prepaid phones are usually pretty awful. Of course there is a chance they'd refuse to add it to your account too. Buy yeah I wouldn't chance buying something on ebay hoping you can return to the local store if needed. I'd say buy new & hopefully sealed, not used (especially for expensive phones unless you want to risk it. Of course you can always try selling back on ebay if needed) from a good seller like I mentioned above & you should be fine. Btw the other thing to consider is go to an authorized Verizon dealer (vs a real Verizon store). You might find them much more likely to work with you on selling you a phone without a contact. I know they make big bucks signing up people but if you're willing to pay retail for a phone I'd imagine they won't turn you away especially if you suggest you'll be back when renewal time comes.
Bill
Ok, so believe it or not, I called Verizon and the rep told me that even if you don't have the original receipt, the verizon store uses the proof of purchase barcode to tell when the item was purchased. If your item is defective you can exchange it, and she even said in some cases they'll even let you put the money towards a new phone, although they prefer to have a receipt.
I'm shocked as I thought they would have a very strict return policy.
Also, any cell purchased in the last month is returnable until Jan 15, which means blackberry storms and htc touch pros and omnias bought on ebay can simply be returned to a verizon store if they are defective!
Wow! Did you get that in writing? lol Guess they have a very lenient return policy. Sounds like they do track them big time but instead of holding it against you they actually HELP you with the info. Geesh, if that really works I'd say they have some killer customer support policies! Makes me want to break a phone to try it & see. Then again I'm on ATT & they'd prolly laugh as they escorted me out the store. :|
Good luck with that, I'd love to hear follow up if you end up needing to try it but then again I'm sure you'd rather NOT have to try. Anyone else ever actually do this with any carrier?
Okay here's the deal. I bought a "new" phone on ebay from a seller in U.S. shipped overseas to where I live. I bought this to use it in U.S. as well when I visit the country in a couple of months.
The seller agreed to include a printed sale receipt and a letter stating that he had sold this phone with this IMEI inside the box. I received the phone two weeks back and surprise, there was no receipt or sale letter inside. I was gutted.
Since then, I have tried to contact the seller at least ten times and he has not responded even once. He had responded to every single one of my emails in an hour before the purchase.
I am not going paranoid. Is there a chance the seller might be scamming me by reporting it stolen? How does it work in the US? Is it possible to report a phone stolen (to claim insurance) and get it blacklisted without the original phone box?
And, if it indeed had been blacklisted by all the networks in US and it fries my new sim, will having the original phone box be enough for a proof of purchase to "unblacklist" it? If so, how long does the process take considering I might be in US only for a few days at a time.
Thanks in advance!
I would just file a ticket with eBay, not because I necessarily believe they're trying to cheat you, but because they violated your agreement. Did you make sure the seller confirmed to you that the IMEI was good and would continue to be so - within eBay ?
There's always a chance they might be scamming you. The original box doesn't mean anything, to anyone, when it comes to reporting it stolen or an insurance claim or them bailing on a payment plan. Them not having it won't hurt them and won't help you. Lots of phones are stolen while still in the original packaging - and those phones do tend to get blacklisted. And like you have thought, they might be planning to report it stolen or stop paying for it (in which case, the carrier will blacklist).
Why not just buy a pre-paid SIM and use that in your normal phone while in the USA ? Or buy a cheap pre-paid phone while you are there if your current phone does not use SIM technology ? You can get one for $20 at places like WAL*MART and similar, which are all over the USA.
Not sure what you mean about "frying" a new SIM. It just wouldn't work if the IMEI was blacklisted, but it's not going to explode or anything. :silly:
If it's blacklisted, I wouldn't count on getting it "un-blacklisted". Carriers really don't like to do that, and you'd probably be looking at making multiple phone calls and facing the likelihood that they weren't going to do it no matter what you said. Normal reps tend to not even know what the IMEI blacklist is, you'd have to have your case brought to someone who did, and convince them to do it - which they usually flat-out will not. I've only really heard of success with having it "un-blacklisted" if you're a long-term customer with a retention/sob story, and it took multiple phone calls and a lot of time.
Thanks I actually did buy a GSM phone for use with a prepaid SIM in USA. I bought it mainly for 3G band inter-compatibility between that used in US and where I live.
Wouldn't opening a dispute with Ebay for this be a little too much? Also, if I open an Item Not As Described dispute, they would request me to get the phone checked with a local dealer and give them a report of exactly how it is not as described by the inspector right? The receipt being missing would be a minor thing that I am not sure they would even consider looking at.
I really don't know the process (but the stories I've heard didn't make the buyer do anything too complicated). Honestly, the sellers themselves have been screwed over because they'll often just take you on your word and people have been known to scam that way. *shrug*
It's up to you how worried you are and if you're prepared to take a loss. But if they're not responding to you, what else are you going to do it get eBay involved? Other than just sit on it and hope for the best - which might all turn out fine, might not.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
The seller is still being very dodgy. Is it true that the Social Security Number is printed on the phone bill when it is purchased from AT&T even if it was an outright purchase?
The seller is refusing to provide the original sales invoice on the grounds that it has his SSN and he would not want to disclose that. He is also refusing to provide a bill by himself saying that he does not know the IMEI of the phone he sold to me so he cannot take the liability of giving a bill for an IMEI he is not sure was sold by him! However, the phone is working fine otherwise.
Could someone clarify if this is right?
Hey all,
A few years back I bought a spare phone off ebay. My main phone just broke and when I went to activate the spare, of course, it was imei blacklisted. I don't care that much since I have little $$$ into it but I've been trying to read up on the blacklist and have found little information.
After some research it seems that there are companies who claim that they can fix the problem (I've seen imiefix.com discussed on this board). I have no intention of doing that to my phone since the phone is worth less than the cost of the service but I struck up an email conversation with someone who claims to perform the service. In the discussion he told me that he actually clears the IMEI from the blacklist of certain companies and does not change or mask IMEI's or do anything else to change the phone. (he has provided me videos showing a phone on the blacklist before he does what he does and how the same IMEI is off the blacklist after his service) but I am still skeptical.
The main question I asked him was whether his service only removes the IMEI from the individual carrier's blacklist or if it removes it from the national and global blacklists (ie. will his service remove a T-Mobile blocked IMEI only from T-Mobile but leave it globally blocked for other carriers). In is response he provided this information he told me that phones are blocked for 2 reasons, 1) lost or stolen phones 2) failure to fulfull contractual obligations (ie. didn't pay subsidy). He told me that only lost/stole phones end up on the global or national blacklist, and that phones blocked for failure to pay are only blocked by the individual carrier.
is this information correct?
anyone have experience with these services?
I am conflicted about this blacklist thing. Yes, we need to find a way to protect consumers from theft and even carriers from fraud, and we shouldn't encourage the sale of stolen goods. But who does it benefit? the consumer? of course not. It is almost exclusively to the benefit of the carriers and manufacturers who get to pump more and more of their exorbitantly expensive phones into the market while thousands of useless phones sit around or end up in landfill. And, since there is such a delay in the time that it takes for phones to end up on the blocklist, and since the carriers seem to do nothing to stop fraud (ie. selling phones then reporting them stolen) the only people this hurts are the poor saps who dish out hundreds for a phone on the aftermarket just to have it locked on them a few months down the road.
silky28 said:
Hey all,
A few years back I bought a spare phone off ebay. My main phone just broke and when I went to activate the spare, of course, it was imei blacklisted. I don't care that much since I have little $$$ into it but I've been trying to read up on the blacklist and have found little information.
After some research it seems that there are companies who claim that they can fix the problem (I've seen imiefix.com discussed on this board). I have no intention of doing that to my phone since the phone is worth less than the cost of the service but I struck up an email conversation with someone who claims to perform the service. In the discussion he told me that he actually clears the IMEI from the blacklist of certain companies and does not change or mask IMEI's or do anything else to change the phone. (he has provided me videos showing a phone on the blacklist before he does what he does and how the same IMEI is off the blacklist after his service) but I am still skeptical.
The main question I asked him was whether his service only removes the IMEI from the individual carrier's blacklist or if it removes it from the national and global blacklists (ie. will his service remove a T-Mobile blocked IMEI only from T-Mobile but leave it globally blocked for other carriers). In is response he provided this information he told me that phones are blocked for 2 reasons, 1) lost or stolen phones 2) failure to fulfull contractual obligations (ie. didn't pay subsidy). He told me that only lost/stole phones end up on the global or national blacklist, and that phones blocked for failure to pay are only blocked by the individual carrier.
is this information correct?
anyone have experience with these services?
I am conflicted about this blacklist thing. Yes, we need to find a way to protect consumers from theft and even carriers from fraud, and we shouldn't encourage the sale of stolen goods. But who does it benefit? the consumer? of course not. It is almost exclusively to the benefit of the carriers and manufacturers who get to pump more and more of their exorbitantly expensive phones into the market while thousands of useless phones sit around or end up in landfill. And, since there is such a delay in the time that it takes for phones to end up on the blocklist, and since the carriers seem to do nothing to stop fraud (ie. selling phones then reporting them stolen) the only people this hurts are the poor saps who dish out hundreds for a phone on the aftermarket just to have it locked on them a few months down the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So playing around a bit I just saw a Tmobile phone on Ebay that is blocked by Tmobile. The ad gave the IMEI so I called Tmobile to enquire. The friendly CS rep checked and said the phone is indeed blacklisted but it is still attached to the account holder's account and she cannot tell me anything else. So long story short, person probably sold the phone to Ebay shop and told them it was Tmobile blacklisted. The store will sell the phone as having a bad IMEI but since it is only Tmobile blacklisted it can still be used on AT&T. Since, however, the phone is still on the other account it is likely that (and there is nothing to stop) the original owner will claim it lost or stolen within a few months, especially if they have theft protection. The new buyer, therefore, will get a phone to use for a couple of months until it is globally blacklisted but by then the Ebay complaint window will be closed so purchaser will be stuck.
They need to find a way to fix this. Instead of keeping the phone on an active account all blacklisted phones should be put into default accounts and cannot be changed in any way. Of course the carriers have no interest in doing this.