My phone got stolen. I reported it to t-mobile and sent a text to the phone saying that it's being tracked and they better return it before cops find them. They returned it to a lost and found location where i picked it up but now the IMEI # is blocked because i reported it stolen... i called t-mobile telling them the story and that i needed my phone unblocked... tmobile tells me they don't block non-tmobile phones... i contacted oneplus one and they can't do anything about it. now i have a useless phone... is there anyway i can unblock this phone?!... Thanks for any help!!
P.S. oneplus one customer service sucks ass!!!!!!
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
timmaaa said:
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't blame OnePlus on the issue... i'm saying their customer service sucks because i had to wait about 4 weeks before getting a response from their customer service and it took them about another week and about 3 different customer service reps to tell me there was nothing they could do. They did not offer me any advice on how to go about unblocking the phone. Seeing as they are a cell phone manufacture they should know how the cell phone industry works and who i should be contacting to get it unblocked.
I'm not sure how IMEI blocking works... Tmobile told me they don't block non T-mobile phones so i don't know who blocked my phone then. Is there a way i can find out?? i guess i will have to push T-mobile harder to unblock it since it's their network i don't see how or why they can't get it removed. I was just wondering if anyone else had an issue with trying to unblock a blacklisted phone and if they had any advice or where to go to so i can get this issue resolved.
Thanks i will push t-mobile to see if there is something else they can do.
timmaaa said:
It has nothing to do with OnePlus. They're a manufacturer of phones, they have nothing to do with the networks that the phones connect to, nor do they have anything to do with the blocking or unblocking of IMEI numbers. What exactly do you expect them to do? Assigning blame or grief towards them is seriously misplaced and unjust.
It's T-Mobile who are responsible for blocking the IMEI, and it's T-Mobile who should be responsible for unblocking the IMEI. Them giving you an excuse that they don't unblock non T-Mobile device is BS. Push them harder, if they refuse to play ball then advise them that you'll be taking the situation to your local telecommunications ombudsen or consumer rights bureau (whatever you have available), that should motivate them to help you out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. And add to that, to your local small claims court, as you can prove you are the original purchaser, and the phone is now back in your (rightful) hands.
Kuno3x16 said:
My phone got stolen. I reported it to t-mobile and sent a text to the phone saying that it's being tracked and they better return it before cops find them. They returned it to a lost and found location where i picked it up but now the IMEI # is blocked because i reported it stolen... i called t-mobile telling them the story and that i needed my phone unblocked... tmobile tells me they don't block non-tmobile phones... i contacted oneplus one and they can't do anything about it. now i have a useless phone... is there anyway i can unblock this phone?!... Thanks for any help!!
P.S. oneplus one customer service sucks ass!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Send a tweet to Legere, you might be surprised how responsive he can be on twitter
Related
My phone (Touch) got stolen will HTC help me by locking it and making it useless for the thief.
viewedit said:
My phone (Touch) got stolen will HTC help me by locking it and making it useless for the thief.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that mate
As long as I know, unless you had installed an anti theft software on your stolen device, it won´t be possible (Hope I´m worng)
They toss your sim card?
Anywho, phones have a unique IMEI number right? couldn't the phone companies see if anyone trys to use it, even with a different sim card? Heck, they could triangulate where the person is using it if he is in range of 3 towers! Lord knows they wont help you that much but they can atleast disable the IMEI and make it worthless to the a-hole.
diff countries diff rules here
when my phone got stolen i gave the IMEI to the police
and they got it blocked from any domestic phone service
and any other countires service's the domestic company's had roaming
or other agreements with
I don't know how it works in India, but in the UK we can call up our network operator and as long as the phone is registered with them, they can block the IMEI number.
The other major networks will then block the phone within 24-48 hours. That makes stealing a mobile pointless in the UK because it will almost certainly be blocked from all the major networks within 2 days.
Got it back bec of anti theft software + HTC Replied
After the phone was stolen, I didn't receive any imei and sms from the stolen phone for a day, I thought the thief was smart enough to HR the phone, but i was wrong, I got that [email protected]# [email protected]#$% imei and Cell no, went straight to the cops, they called him and told him to handover the phone, he denyed having it initially, but when cops were at his door step he confessed.
Am very happy the software worked.
Now I am seriousely thinking of embedding it inside the rom, so even if some some smart A$% HR's it, I will still get it back.
Vodafone in India didnt co-operate at all.
Thanks everyone for showing concern.
Here is what HTC replied to my mail.
Thank you for contacting HTC Email support.
We will be assisting you with “HTC". As per your mail we understand that you have lost your handset and we understand that you are looking forward to block or trace the device with the help of IMEI number.
We are sorry to know that you have lost your device In this case we would like to inform you that unfortunately it won’t be possible for us to deactivate or trace the phone however services can be barred and you may block your SIM through your service provider.
If you need any further assistance with the HTC please feel free to get back to us, we will be more than happy to assist you further.
We look forward to be of service to you again..
Best Regards,
Gaurav Rathore,
Customer Service Department,
Customer Service Hotline (India): 1800 11 33 77
glad all is ok now
so this thread is now closed.
thank you
Hi Guys,
I lost my phone one night. I am not in hope of finding it, but I do not want thief to profit from the occasion.
I have the IMEI number still at hand. Is there anything that can be done?
(NB: I did not have a phone/sim lock on the phone and the thief deleted the findmyphone function WP7 has)
Many thanks in advance,
Jason
jasonchiu said:
Hi Guys,
I lost my phone one night. I am not in hope of finding it, but I do not want thief to profit from the occasion.
I have the IMEI number still at hand. Is there anything that can be done?
(NB: I did not have a phone/sim lock on the phone and the thief deleted the findmyphone function WP7 has)
Many thanks in advance,
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you really want to pursue it, you can ask your cell phone company to try and give you a rough location of where it is through cell triangulation, although that may be difficult to get them to do. Otherwise, you can tell them to Blacklist the IMEI number so that it can't be used on any networks.
Product F(RED) said:
If you really want to pursue it, you can ask your cell phone company to try and give you a rough location of where it is through cell triangulation, although that may be difficult to get them to do. Otherwise, you can tell them to Blacklist the IMEI number so that it can't be used on any networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tips.
I tried to block the IMEI in Hong Kong, but my service providor (Smartone Vodafone) said they dont provide such service.
When I went back to the UK, I called up T-Mobile and someone from an India call centre said they blocked it for me, but the "reassuringly" told me it can be easily unlocked by someone who knows mobiles well...
Are there any sites or places I can submit the IMEI number to?
Many thanks,
Jason
jasonchiu said:
Thanks for the tips.
I tried to block the IMEI in Hong Kong, but my service providor (Smartone Vodafone) said they dont provide such service.
When I went back to the UK, I called up T-Mobile and someone from an India call centre said they blocked it for me, but the "reassuringly" told me it can be easily unlocked by someone who knows mobiles well...
Are there any sites or places I can submit the IMEI number to?
Many thanks,
Jason
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can't be "unlocked". The person would have to spoof or change the IMEI number, something which I've been able to ever do on 1 phone (original iPhone). But the reason I did it is not because it was stolen, but because I didn't want a data plan that AT&T was forcing on its customers, so I made the phone appear as another phone. I don't think it can be done easily on most phones.
I don't think there are any websites you can submit the IMEI number to. I believe there's a global IMEI blacklist database that most responsible carriers choose to enforce.
Cheers for the details.
I too was shocked that Smartone Vodafone did not offer IMEI blocking.
I hope t-mobile really did block the IMEI number.
I was a bit sceptic as all the CS Agent did was take note it and that was it. She didnt ask for any details about me either.
Product F(RED) said:
It can't be "unlocked". The person would have to spoof or change the IMEI number, something which I've been able to ever do on 1 phone (original iPhone). But the reason I did it is not because it was stolen, but because I didn't want a data plan that AT&T was forcing on its customers, so I made the phone appear as another phone. I don't think it can be done easily on most phones.
I don't think there are any websites you can submit the IMEI number to. I believe there's a global IMEI blacklist database that most responsible carriers choose to enforce.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Hello everybody. Please forgive me for showing my ignorance. I'm very new to Android phones so please bear with me.
I recently purchased a OnePlus One from a friend of mine. I've been using the phone for a week on T-Mobile's network without a hitch. It doesn't work so well in my basement apartment but I still love the phone. Anyway, I went to make a call yesterday (10/11) and "Mobile Network Not Available." I called T-Mobile. I was told that the mfr put a block on the IMEI as the phone had been reported lost or stolen. I can assure you, the person I purchased it from did no such thing nor, obviously, did I. Does anyone have an explanation as what might have happened?
Trying to get OnePlus Customer Service to contact me is like trying to swim through cement, so I'm turning to the pro's here I've read great things about this forum and I'm sure someone here can help me.
I will try anything at this point. If someone could email me, I'd be very grateful. Thanks for any guidance you can offer!
Fred
That's interesting. T-mobile should not have the power to block the imei since it's an international phone. Att doesn't even have the imei in their systems. You haven't attempted to root your phone correct?
Sent from my OnePlusOne
Check that you got a valid IMEI at all
Send from OnePlus One using Tapatalk
Are you in the UK? Did your friend get the phone new from 1+?
Maybe someone got hold of the imei number and then claimed on their insurance by saying it was lost or stolen. In the UK it doesn't matter if it is a carrier phone or sim free, if it is reported on the lost/stolen register it will be blocked and can't be unblocked. It will still work outside of the UK
osmosizzz said:
That's interesting. T-mobile should not have the power to block the imei since it's an international phone. Att doesn't even have the imei in their systems. You haven't attempted to root your phone correct?
Sent from my OnePlusOne
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to T-Mobile, they cannot block a non-T-Mobile phone, as you say. No, I haven't attempted to root the phone. I know what rooting is but I'm such a technological idiot I would never attempt it.
Ok so this is going to be a long one... sorry in advance if I've broken any site rules posting here (made an account so I could make this post).
First, I work retail loss prevention for an off-brand retailer (in the USA). About 3 months ago we found a T-Mobile s8+ in one of our fitting rooms. The phone was turned into me via one of the store employees where I let it sit in my office for 3 days while turned on, hoping someone who knows the original owner would call it. No one called, so I took the phone to my local T-Mobile store to turn it in or see if they could contact the owner. The T-Mobile representative told me that they would be unable to take the phone from me, or give me any information regarding the owner. So the phone sat in my stores Lost and Found box for 30 days as policy. Once those 30 days passed our policy states to throw out the phone with the normal trash. Being an expensive phone, and the technology lover I am, I kept the phone which I had all legal right to do since the store had thrown it out.
The phone itself had a pin-lock and probably some sensitive data regarding the previous owner which I was able to clear out via a re-flash of the OS on the phone (i'm not a bad guy I didn't want their personal data).
So, obviously, the phone itself has an IMEI number reported as "Lost" with T-Mobile. Which means I'm basically unable to use it on our carrier (Metro PCS), however my wife was using it for the camera and other apps while at the house.
Flash forward another month and my wife's phone begins to start acting up so I figured there could be some way to work out to let her use this s8+ (I own a normal s8 myself and have no real use for the s8+). So i called T-Mobile customer support, explained the situation described above, and they told me I would need to take the phone to a Samsung store to have the device refurbished? Well, I drove about 30 minutes out to the nearest Samsung store to be told they don't perform such a service.
So I decided to look into altering the IMEI# of the s8+ to a clean IMEI of my wife's current phone or an older one we no longer use, and all the laws and specifications regarding what can and can't be done. All I could dig up regarding IMEI laws in the US was here: congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3186/text/is -- Which isn't actually a law it's a proposed bill that never got passed. I did find some stuff from the FCC about cell phone cloning fraud:fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud -- but this also doesn't exactly fit my situation since we only want to use one phone, not two under the same identifications. There also is the concern of 'is it really fraud if I own both phones in question?'.
So this brings us to the current status: I have this phone that I obtained legally with a bad IMEI and cannot use it for everyday purposes.
Any help on how we can get the phone to a usable state would be greatly appreciated.
[Edit update]: I realize this is a very unusual situation, and am fully aware of the stigma regarding asking what to do regarding bad IMEI numbers and just want to clarify that I do not intend to break any laws or act with malicious intent to others. I simply want to have a phone, which I own legally, working.
Best your gonna get on this is google can be your friend. We dont discuss this in any form here.
Starhound said:
Ok so this is going to be a long one... sorry in advance if I've broken any site rules posting here (made an account so I could make this post).
First, I work retail loss prevention for an off-brand retailer (in the USA). About 3 months ago we found a T-Mobile s8+ in one of our fitting rooms. The phone was turned into me via one of the store employees where I let it sit in my office for 3 days while turned on, hoping someone who knows the original owner would call it. No one called, so I took the phone to my local T-Mobile store to turn it in or see if they could contact the owner. The T-Mobile representative told me that they would be unable to take the phone from me, or give me any information regarding the owner. So the phone sat in my stores Lost and Found box for 30 days as policy. Once those 30 days passed our policy states to throw out the phone with the normal trash. Being an expensive phone, and the technology lover I am, I kept the phone which I had all legal right to do since the store had thrown it out.
The phone itself had a pin-lock and probably some sensitive data regarding the previous owner which I was able to clear out via a re-flash of the OS on the phone (i'm not a bad guy I didn't want their personal data).
So, obviously, the phone itself has an IMEI number reported as "Lost" with T-Mobile. Which means I'm basically unable to use it on our carrier (Metro PCS), however my wife was using it for the camera and other apps while at the house.
Flash forward another month and my wife's phone begins to start acting up so I figured there could be some way to work out to let her use this s8+ (I own a normal s8 myself and have no real use for the s8+). So i called T-Mobile customer support, explained the situation described above, and they told me I would need to take the phone to a Samsung store to have the device refurbished? Well, I drove about 30 minutes out to the nearest Samsung store to be told they don't perform such a service.
So I decided to look into altering the IMEI# of the s8+ to a clean IMEI of my wife's current phone or an older one we no longer use, and all the laws and specifications regarding what can and can't be done. All I could dig up regarding IMEI laws in the US was here: congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/3186/text/is -- Which isn't actually a law it's a proposed bill that never got passed. I did find some stuff from the FCC about cell phone cloning fraud:fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud -- but this also doesn't exactly fit my situation since we only want to use one phone, not two under the same identifications. There also is the concern of 'is it really fraud if I own both phones in question?'.
So this brings us to the current status: I have this phone that I obtained legally with a bad IMEI and cannot use it for everyday purposes.
Any help on how we can get the phone to a usable state would be greatly appreciated.
[Edit update]: I realize this is a very unusual situation, and am fully aware of the stigma regarding asking what to do regarding bad IMEI numbers and just want to clarify that I do not intend to break any laws or act with malicious intent to others. I simply want to have a phone, which I own legally, working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is illegal and will bring you to jail so dont even try it
kpwnApps said:
This is illegal and will bring you to jail so dont even try it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In most countries yes not all but either way frowned talks on xda
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
Starhound said:
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes as that may be true. But the rules here on xda as well as the rest of the world prohibit this. I do agree with you on the law here in US though. ???
Starhound said:
Update: I no longer need assistance.
Side Note: Here is the US law regarding changing mobile identification numbers: govinfo.gov/app/details/USCODE-2011-title18/USCODE-2011-title18-partI-chap47-sec1029
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That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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The only thing that can be done is turn it in to t-mobile. If I t was me. I would turn it in to t-mobile so they can return it to the proper owner.
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solitarios.lupus said:
Starhound said:
The only thing that can be done is turn it in to t-mobile. If I t was me. I would turn it in to t-mobile so they can return it to the proper owner.
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I attempted to do exactly that about 3 days after the phone was turned in to me (as described in original post). T-Mobile refused to take it from me. Nor would they give me information to contact the owner. Maybe that's not their standard policy, I don't know.
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
I attempted to do exactly that about 3 days after the phone was turned in to me (as described in original post). T-Mobile refused to take it from me. Nor would they give me information to contact the owner. Maybe that's not their standard policy, I don't know.
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I can tell you that is not their policy. Mail it to the corporate office with a letter saying what happened and where you took it. That person will be fired on the spot. But that is up to you. Either way it is useless unless you use it on att.
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Starhound said:
solitarios.lupus said:
That law is surpassed by the cell phone cloning act of the early 90's. In the US it is illegal to alter the IMEI or even have tools that allow you to do so. It effects the IMEI and ESN (for older phones) many sites have been closed down for it. XDA has a very strong stance against it.
I'm not really here to argue if the act is illegal or not (it is). But, to point out I also wasn't exactly asking on instruction on how to change an IMEI.
I only asked what laws are in place that specify the legality of the situation (which has been solved), and what -can- be done in this situation (remains unsolved).
-Thank you
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I have your same issue. A phone was forgotten on the bathroom of my cafe and nobody reclaimed for more than 6 months. Once tried to used after this long time the phone seems to be reported lost and imei locked. I cleaned up the phone to erase all the old personal information but not able to use it.
I understand the role on this forum and nobody want talk about it. would be really appreciate if you can privately point me to the right direction to make the phone working.
I won't contribute to the pocket of a lot of people on youtube or ebay selling the service for 50 pound. This is not a businness for me but just try to use a phone instead of bin it
Mine is a G950F model
Thanks
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