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I have a important question, I bought a i777 recently from a private owner, and the phone has been blacklisted on att as stolen. I wasn't aware of att's new blacklist policy so I didn't ask for imei. I had the phone unlocked when I bought it, and I'm using straight talk. Do you think if I get a tmobile compatible sim it would work? I can't find the crook who sold me the phone and I don't want a 250.00 paperweight. Thanks to all.
buynary said:
I have a important question, I bought a i777 recently from a private owner, and the phone has been blacklisted on att as stolen. I wasn't aware of att's new blacklist policy so I didn't ask for imei. I had the phone unlocked when I bought it, and I'm using straight talk. Do you think if I get a tmobile compatible sim it would work? I can't find the crook who sold me the phone and I don't want a 250.00 paperweight. Thanks to all.
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Click to collapse
If it really is unlocked, using a TMobile sim card should work. However, due to the radio frequency compatibility of this phone, you'll only get EDGE level data.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Just a warning. The eventual plan is for all networks to share that blacklist.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
If you can prove you purchased that phone from someone, you may be able to have it removed from the blacklist. It's an extreme long shot, but worth it imo.
Clay
Team Pirate
Sent from my PINK GSwagger2
clay101eve said:
If you can prove you purchased that phone from someone, you may be able to have it removed from the blacklist. It's an extreme long shot, but worth it imo.
Clay
Team Pirate
Sent from my PINK GSwagger2
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Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing so I called att customer service and the agent said the only thing way she could release it from the blacklist is if the person I bought it from called in and said they sold it. I'm all for the blacklisting of stolen phones but there must be a way to protect someone who'd bought a phone that was clean then the seller calls in and says it's stolen after the fact.
I have same issue
buynary said:
I was thinking the same thing so I called att customer service and the agent said the only thing way she could release it from the blacklist is if the person I bought it from called in and said they sold it. I'm all for the blacklisting of stolen phones but there must be a way to protect someone who'd bought a phone that was clean then the seller calls in and says it's stolen after the fact.
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Click to collapse
Hey i just bought a iPhone 5 from craigslist and it turns out it was black listed aswell, i want to know if att ever gave in and took your phone off the blacklist. I will be trying to contact them again today, please let me know if there is any advice you can give me..
thanks
buynary said:
there must be a way to protect someone who'd bought a phone that was clean then the seller calls in and says it's stolen after the fact.
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Click to collapse
There is. Only buy expensive technology devices from reputable people. In the case of a used phone, laptop or tablet, Craig's List and eBay are not reputable. At least eBay has Buyer Protection and you might get your money back. Craig's List has zero protection for buyers and I would avoid it. Not worth the risk to save a few dollars.
i just tech-supported a i777 from att and it was blacklisted
blocked my SIM card (my account)
did not work unlocking and trying with TMO = got a phone not allowed MM6# message
dumb thing is, you want to return the phone to it's original owners, and the phone company says it can't or doesn't have that info (sounds like BS)
until there is a way to return the phone to its rightful owner then... whats the use? yes there is some poetic justice but...
we have to be VERY careful from now on with what we buy on the streets / used
buynary said:
I was thinking the same thing so I called att customer service and the agent said the only thing way she could release it from the blacklist is if the person I bought it from called in and said they sold it. I'm all for the blacklisting of stolen phones but there must be a way to protect someone who'd bought a phone that was clean then the seller calls in and says it's stolen after the fact.
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Click to collapse
Only buy the phone after going into an ATT retail store with the person your buying it from and have them check the IMEI and make a note to the account. Other then that there is nothing as it is your word against theirs.
ATT does have the info but are bound by law not to give it out.
zelendel said:
Only buy the phone after going into an ATT retail store with the person your buying it from and have them check the IMEI and make a note to the account. Other then that there is nothing as it is your word against theirs.
ATT does have the info but are bound by law not to give it out.
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+1. It seems like this is the only safe way to do it now. If the seller doesn't want to do it or seems uncomfortable then you know something's up.
Is there a program.
Is there a program that I can download to unlock the imei or change it? I have a samsung galaxy s4 active for at&t.
aironham said:
Is there a program that I can download to unlock the imei or change it? I have a samsung galaxy s4 active for at&t.
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Click to collapse
No as doing so is illegal and against XDA rules.
This might sound like a broken record with ebay/craigslist scams, you can add me to the list.
I'm going to keep it short and to the point.
- I'm a T-Mobile user, purchased an AT&T Phone (LG Optimus G) on Craigslist , which i then unlocked via ebay code.
- a couple weeks of use the phone was reported stolen, blacklisted.
> On the day of purchase I saved the craigslist ad on the computer, which contained the seller's number, and it had the date as well.
What should i do?
- Contact the seller?
- Contact AT&T Insurance Company?
- Sell it on Ebay, is it illegal?
Would greatly appreciate any help or info as I am stranded without a phone, so the sooner the better, thank you.
sasoq said:
This might sound like a broken record with ebay/craigslist scams, you can add me to the list.
I'm going to keep it short and to the point.
- I'm a T-Mobile user, purchased an AT&T Phone (LG Optimus G) on Craigslist , which i then unlocked via ebay code.
- a couple weeks of use the phone was reported stolen, blacklisted.
> On the day of purchase I saved the craigslist ad on the computer, which contained the seller's number, and it had the date as well.
What should i do?
- Contact the seller?
- Contact AT&T Insurance Company?
- Sell it on Ebay, is it illegal?
Would greatly appreciate any help or info as I am stranded without a phone, so the sooner the better, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I can put my 2 cents in, I believe I have a unique perspective on this since I'm an international buyer-
You can easily list this phone on ebay as BAD IMEI, since this phone is unlocked it can be used on any GSM carrier in the world except AT&T and T-mobile (who share blacklists), which to most people who live outside of the US like me is completely fine- who cares about AT&T honestly lol. So just list it as BAD IMEI on AT&T but unlocked for international carriers, and you'll be able to sell it for like 10-20 bucks less than a regular device easy.
sasoq said:
This might sound like a broken record with ebay/craigslist scams, you can add me to the list.
I'm going to keep it short and to the point.
- I'm a T-Mobile user, purchased an AT&T Phone (LG Optimus G) on Craigslist , which i then unlocked via ebay code.
- a couple weeks of use the phone was reported stolen, blacklisted.
> On the day of purchase I saved the craigslist ad on the computer, which contained the seller's number, and it had the date as well.
What should i do?
- Contact the seller?
- Contact AT&T Insurance Company?
- Sell it on Ebay, is it illegal?
Would greatly appreciate any help or info as I am stranded without a phone, so the sooner the better, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or you could find out who's phone it actually is, and turn it into AT&T and contact the local authorities. Get the dude arrested and return the phone to its owner who's probably heartbroken without their LGOG.
In the process get your money back from the dude, he'll have to do crap court anyway they'll add that to his charges and square you away.
You're basically summed up into two probabilities, he either;
A) Stole the phone, and sold it to you. In which case you are now the receiver of stolen property, and now you're going to break the same law and sell it, again. Comical.
B) He owned the phone, and reported it stolen after selling it, thus he's probably committing some pathetic small version of insurance fraud, of which I'm sure AT&T would love to know. In this case I'm almost positive AT&T will let you keep the phone and they'll remove the blacklist since after the fact.
Bonus round: You could just call AT&T / their insurance, and tell them you have the phone, the situation you're in, and present the evidence you kept.
Just think, worst case scenario someone could effectively do the exact same thing and use your ebay ad as proof they purchased the phone not knowingly that it was stolen, and then YOU have to deal with the legality of selling stolen property. The world is retarded, have fun
[r.]GimP said:
Or you could find out who's phone it actually is, and turn it into AT&T and contact the local authorities. Get the dude arrested and return the phone to its owner who's probably heartbroken without their LGOG.
In the process get your money back from the dude, he'll have to do crap court anyway they'll add that to his charges and square you away.
You're basically summed up into two probabilities, he either;
A) Stole the phone, and sold it to you. In which case you are now the receiver of stolen property, and now you're going to break the same law and sell it, again. Comical.
B) He owned the phone, and reported it stolen after selling it, thus he's probably committing some pathetic small version of insurance fraud, of which I'm sure AT&T would love to know. In this case I'm almost positive AT&T will let you keep the phone and they'll remove the blacklist since after the fact.
Bonus round: You could just call AT&T / their insurance, and tell them you have the phone, the situation you're in, and present the evidence you kept.
Just think, worst case scenario someone could effectively do the exact same thing and use your ebay ad as proof they purchased the phone not knowingly that it was stolen, and then YOU have to deal with the legality of selling stolen property. The world is retarded, have fun
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I am wondering if there may be a third scenario.
C) the person that sold the phone neither stole the phone or reported it stolen, but didn't fulfill his contract and AT&T had it blacklisted.
adfurgerson said:
I am wondering if there may be a third scenario.
C) the person that sold the phone neither stole the phone or reported it stolen, but didn't fulfill his contract and AT&T had it blacklisted.
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Touche' I'd call AT&T for sure, especially if I was using it and it cut off
[r.]GimP said:
Touche' I'd call AT&T for sure, especially if I was using it and it cut off
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+ I thought the phone number on the ad would be a real number turned out it's not, i think it's a google voice number because I called and heard "could not complete your call please try again.." associated with google voice, dialed *70 plus the number and got through two rings and a end call. Does anyone know how i can find out the real number on google voice?
Idk if i should contact at&t wouldn't they want to take the phone, since it was reported stolen? Meanwhile I have the phone, Is there any way i can still use the phone with a blacklisted imei. I know I've seen some cases where Roms can give a phone a different Imei. Thanks guys for the responses
This thread is a little dated but just for clarity, a device won't be blacklisted due to breach of contract. A device is only added to the blacklist if it's reported lost or stolen.
As an aside, calling the carrier won't change the situation much. They don't want the device back and certainly aren't removing it from the blacklist.
Sent from my LG-E970 using xda app-developers app
Yeah op is likely the victim of insurance fraud.
Sent from my LG Optimus G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
So my dad bought an HTC One off of Craigslist brand new a few months ago. Today, it randomly stopped recog izing the Sim. It turns out that the original owners decided to call in the device as stolen and got theirs replaced from their insurance. He called T-Mobile and they said that there's nothing they can do about this.
Is there any way to make the phone usable again? Changing the IMEI, flashing a custom ROM, or whatever. Everything works, except the SIM is not recognized.
Thanks for your help.
Your SOL. You won't get imei changing help on XDA. Advise I seen given in this situation, is to sell it overseas as it useless in AT&T too.
HTC One
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
jawmail said:
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
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Click to collapse
What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kill switches would prevent the phone from being used domestically and possibly internationally. Similar to how Verizon does it by locking the phone IMEI or MEID whatever they call it on Verizon phones. If you buy one that's locked it "lost or stolen" and doesn't work on their network.
Read this, explains what might be done if the carriers agree. Right now they make too much money from insurance to care. Don't know if I can post links but Google 'cell phone kill switch'. http://www.today.com/money/push-get-kill-switch-smartphones-2D11897060
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
IAmSixNine said:
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
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Click to collapse
Yes that is very typical. It's so sad they do not stop the theft and the fraud. It will happen it's only a matter of time.
Nothing you can do. Sorry but that's just how it is. I refuse to buy any phone that's not from the company I'm with. That being tmobile. That way I have a record of buying my phone and they can't block it
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Sucks man.
I'd say to check your imei against the stolen registries, but that wouldn't have done you any good.
Sent from my LG-V510 using xda app-developers app
If you have even a phone number or any contact information from when your dad bought the phone, you should report the seller to the FBI or your local US Attorney's Office and perhaps even attempt to file a lawsuit for fraud. I'm shocked that people are willing to commit federal crimes for $300.
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
jqwest said:
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
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Click to collapse
Actually, you're mistaken.
A "blocked" device on T-Mobile is still usable on AT&T. A "blocked" device is not a blacklisted device, and therefor is eligible for use on another carrier (not MVNO of the blocked carrier).
A device can only be blacklisted if it has been reported as lost or stolen. If the device is just blocked on T-Mobile, then it wasn't reported as lost or stolen.
I buy used phones as a business and if a tmobile phone is blacklisted/lost/stolen/blocked for non payment. they only blackliston tmobile cell towers. This is fact any bad tmobile phone after unlocked can be used on atat regardless of imei status with tmobile, Im currently using a tmobile htc one that is blacklisted/blocked by tmobile, Im using it on atat
Hi i purchased a phone for my girlfriend on craigslist and it seems that it is black listed. What can I do? Can i unlock it and than use it with straight talk?
BTW I found out it was blacklisted because of unpaid account
CPN706 said:
Hi i purchased a phone for my girlfriend on craigslist and it seems that it is black listed. What can I do? Can i unlock it and than use it with straight talk?
BTW I found out it was blacklisted because of unpaid account
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IF you can get it unlocked, you would then need to make sure that Straight Talk doesn't share the same blacklist as Tmo. I know that there are several carriers that share a blacklist with Tmo and if you blocked w/ Tmo then you blocked with them too.
If you bought it knowing it was blacklisted, then shame on you.
If you didnt know, then i would call the person back and get your money back and or get the police involved. They should of disclosed that it was blacklisted when you bought.
You have to be careful when you buy stuff like this off of craigslist. If i buy a phone off craigslist, i like to have the person meet me at a phone store the i was gonna activate it with or with the carrier he or she might have had it activated with ( they can make a note on the persons account that the phone was sold and not stolen or lost), to verify it was infact a good phone. If the person disagrees with what i want to do, then i walk away from it.. Or you can check the imei with some websites that will let you know if the phone is good or blacklisted. You have to be careful either way, cause some people will sell you a phone and then a couple of days later call and report the phone lost or stolen just to get a free phone,upgrade or to get out of a contract .
Sometimes it is better just to get the phone from the carrier to avoid all issues like this. Dont get me wrong, this doesnt happen all the time and some sellers are straight up with you. But it not worth the trouble now or in the future.
CPN706 said:
Hi i purchased a phone for my girlfriend on craigslist and it seems that it is black listed. What can I do? Can i unlock it and than use it with straight talk?
BTW I found out it was blacklisted because of unpaid account
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxyuser88 is correct. Buying a phone from eBay or Craigslist or whatever is dangerous. Very few S5s are purchased outright, most are on two year contracts which are not up yet. But if you were sold a blacklisted phone, you should let the police know and try to get your money back.
That being said, if it's listed because of payment issues, it's normally not blacklisted on other carriers whereas if it's listed as lost or stolen it hits the big list that the carriers share. Of course there are exceptions to this so you never know for sure until you pay to unlock the phone and try it on another carrier. I used swift unlock to unlock my G900T so I could use it on AT&T. They were anything but swift but they were cheap at 19.99.
Anyway, good luck with it.
gspears said:
Galaxyuser88 is correct. Buying a phone from eBay or Craigslist or whatever is dangerous. Very few S5s are purchased outright, most are on two year contracts which are not up yet. But if you were sold a blacklisted phone, you should let the police know and try to get your money back.
That being said, if it's listed because of payment issues, it's normally not blacklisted on other carriers whereas if it's listed as lost or stolen it hits the big list that the carriers share. Of course there are exceptions to this so you never know for sure until you pay to unlock the phone and try it on another carrier. I used swift unlock to unlock my G900T so I could use it on AT&T. They were anything but swift but they were cheap at 19.99.
Anyway, good luck with it.
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Click to collapse
Why don't you just shop around your area where small shops offer android repair. I can guarantee you that more then half of them can swap IMEI for no more then 50 bucks. Just ask tmo to send you a new sim, don't take the 0hone in.
galaxyuser88 said:
If you bought it knowing it was blacklisted, then shame on you.
If you didnt know, then i would call the person back and get your money back and or get the police involved. They should of disclosed that it was blacklisted when you bought.
You have to be careful when you buy stuff like this off of craigslist. If i buy a phone off craigslist, i like to have the person meet me at a phone store the i was gonna activate it with or with the carrier he or she might have had it activated with ( they can make a note on the persons account that the phone was sold and not stolen or lost), to verify it was infact a good phone. If the person disagrees with what i want to do, then i walk away from it.. Or you can check the imei with some websites that will let you know if the phone is good or blacklisted. You have to be careful either way, cause some people will sell you a phone and then a couple of days later call and report the phone lost or stolen just to get a free phone,upgrade or to get out of a contract .
Sometimes it is better just to get the phone from the carrier to avoid all issues like this. Dont get me wrong, this doesnt happen all the time and some sellers are straight up with you. But it not worth the trouble now or in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought it knowing it's blacklisted then shame on him? Blacklisted or not the phone was still the previous guys belonging, he exchanged some reduction in his credit score for the phone, of course he could sell it to someone else. many people buy blacklisted devices and use on other carriers. Many big stores on ebay sell them everyday. Blacklisted are still of values and you sound like they should just be wasted threw away or something. t-mobile s5 has unpaid bill and I'm using it on straight talk with no issues. It was cheaper than a normal one but I wasn't gonna use it on tmobile so everything worked out perfect for me
---------- Post added at 06:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 PM ----------
neshkoda said:
Why don't you just shop around your area where small shops offer android repair. I can guarantee you that more then half of them can swap IMEI for no more then 50 bucks. Just ask tmo to send you a new sim, don't take the 0hone in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing imei is illegal
optimusv45 said:
Bought it knowing it's blacklisted then shame on him? Blacklisted or not the phone was still the previous guys belonging, he exchanged some reduction in his credit score for the phone, of course he could sell it to someone else. many people buy blacklisted devices and use on other carriers. Many big stores on ebay sell them everyday. Blacklisted are still of values and you sound like they should just be wasted threw away or something. t-mobile s5 has unpaid bill and I'm using it on straight talk with no issues. It was cheaper than a normal one but I wasn't gonna use it on tmobile so everything worked out perfect for me
---------- Post added at 06:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 PM ----------
Changing imei is illegal
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Click to collapse
But is it really worth all the trouble, What would happen if they started to exchange blacklist info with all carriers, Then you are S.O.L. Sometimes you get lucky, but sooner or later that luck will run out. I am not saying they dont have any worth, but as long as it works then they can be used for parts to fix a broken one. That is one reason the big stores on ebay sell them. Its like buying a stolen item getting caught and then telling the judge you knew or didnt know it was stolen, but it was cheap and i should be able to use it and keep it since you didnt steal it.
galaxyuser88 said:
But is it really worth all the trouble, What would happen if they started to exchange blacklist info with all carriers, Then you are S.O.L. Sometimes you get lucky, but sooner or later that luck will run out. I am not saying they dont have any worth, but as long as it works then they can be used for parts to fix a broken one. That is one reason the big stores on ebay sell them. Its like buying a stolen item getting caught and then telling the judge you knew or didnt know it was stolen, but it was cheap and i should be able to use it and keep it since you didnt steal it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's blocked from a carrier for unpaid bills, it's not like a stolen item at all and won't be blocked on other carriers. The previous owners BOUGHT it NOT STOLE IT with their credit history and it can't be used on original carrier.
CPN706 said:
Hi i purchased a phone for my girlfriend on craigslist and it seems that it is black listed. What can I do? Can i unlock it and than use it with straight talk?
BTW I found out it was blacklisted because of unpaid account
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem, but I wanted to use that T-Mobile phone with metro pcs. I decided to change the IMEI number, look it up, there are some cheap services where they change the imei and, baamm! I had signal again, however, before purchasing the service ask them if it would would with the carrier you want, if not, get tmobile, they have affordable plans, and pre paid plans and works like a charm.
Hey all,
I did some searching so it makes me suspect this isn't possible yet, but does anyone have a method to change the IMEI or MEID of the LG V30+ (Sprint, if that matters)? I need to change it and not just mask it.
The short story is I bought on on eBay but it was already tied to someone's account. The seller won't give me that person's contact info, Sprint won't tell me if there's a finance balance on it and if I can pay it off, and Sprint won't give me that person's contact info either. eBay declined my request for a refund, so now I'm just trying to see if I can make this thing usable at all.
Thanks!
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
t1mman said:
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
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Click to collapse
I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2249666&p=40723213
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
nizmoboy98 said:
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
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When I put the IMEI into swappa's IMEI checker it says "Financial Eligibility - Device is not eligible for resale (financed)." When I talk to Sprint (Which I've done over a few calls and trips to the store) they tell me it can't be put on my account because it's still attached to another account, but they don't tell me why at all. They've never told me if I could just take over payments for the phone, which is interesting since I've asked specifically about that. I wonder if something else is blocking this IMEI? So far I haven't been able to reach anyone at Sprint that can tell me anything about the phone's previous owner or any financial obligations on the phone.
Do you happen to know of a different IMEI checker I should try that might give me more information?
Imei checker by cavallo enterprise
I tried that on my insuranced replacement lg v30 and it gave me unpaid balance on mines
cjshrader said:
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself.
So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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I'm sorry you are out the money....
But the flaw in your logic is that 2017 $800-$900 LG V30 phone still belongs to Sprint, until paid off. The person who "sold" it to you had no right to sell property they do not own (unless they used the money to pay off the balance). So, technically, they are stealing it. The only reason it's not been "reported" stolen is Sprint is probably taking care of this in civil proceedings as opposed to criminal proceedings? They are probably getting a judgement against the person. In which case, Sprint doesn't want to deal with you because that just complicates the case.
IF the person you bought it from had used that money to immediately pay of the balance, then everything would be OK. But they probably sold for lot less than owed to Sprint. (Sprint wants customers with recurring monthly payments, they don't want to be Best Buy. The financial price of the contract is probably a LOT more than the hardware cost of the phone.)
This phone was released in October. The user probably didn't make any payments, to be honest. So you would be out not only what you paid them, but probably the full amount they owe Sprint for up to two years?
Sprint also had deals where you would get a phone, get free first year service, but then be obligated to pay for 2nd year of service. People signed a legal contract. To get out of the contract they had to pay the value of what was still left. The amount owed on this phone might not be just the cost of the phone, but a year or two of Sprint service charges. I haven't seen the contract, I really couldn't care less about Sprint --- I've helped many friends escape Sprint -- I'm just speculating why Sprint isn't being helpful with you. It seems it's more than just the phone?
One Sprint deal was to LEASE TWO PHONES. LEASE one phone, get one for free:
http://newsroom.sprint.com/lg-v30-a...e-get-one-on-us-just-38-per-month-for-two.htm
In which case, they weren't even buying the phone from Sprint over two years, they were renting it.
I see this a lot with new Sprint phones sold on Craigslist and eBay -- lots of drama for some reason. Earlier this year was lots of posts for help in unlocking Sprint Galaxy S8/S8+. It's not that those model phones cannot be unlocked, it's that money was owed on them still. People were getting new Sprint phones for "free", then turning around and selling them on eBay, Craigslist. But they weren't free. They had signed a contract, and until the terms were fulfilled it was still Sprint's phones. So, it was really a scam.
In many countries, changing IMEI numbers is like changing VIN on a car. It's against the law, because either the car is stolen or some other bad intent is happening.
Sent from my carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
cjshrader said:
I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_cloning#Effectiveness_and_legislation
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
Contact your seller, explain the situation, and if the description didn't state the IMEI issue, or didn't state the item was AS-IS, contact paypal/ebay and open a dispute.
If it was stated, well, you knew what you where getting into!
Good luck!
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
Sent from my LG-H931 using XDA Labs
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
Mr CATFISH said:
Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
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I appreciate that, and even though I'm paying extra for one I'm definitely thinking it's going to be the next phone I get. I've been on a Note 4 for a long time and it's on its last legs.
adsubzero said:
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
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The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
Josh McGrath said:
If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
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The purchase was through Paypal, and since eBay and Paypal are generally in lock step together. That being said, I should still take a shot, it wouldn't hurt. This is effectively a bad IMEI phone, and the seller said the problem with it was it was "activated on someone else's account." Those two things don't mean the same to me.
cjshrader said:
The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
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He's saying there are other providers who don't care that it's a blacklisted phone. That IF you get the phone carrier unlocked through an unlock code perhaps you can then use it with another service provider.
My understanding is there's a U.S. carrier blacklist covering all four major carriers. Whether there are loopholes, I don't know. Like maybe since is not actually been reported lost/stolen?
But there's also tons of U.S. MVNOs who may or may not suscribe to that list. Those MVNOs use the major carriers, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, but provide their own SIM cards.
I'm just explaining what the other person meant. What you do is your own decision.
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
Try and search ebay for the this seller and message the seller any questions you have. Ask seller if you will get refund if it does not work . im guessing sites that provide this service knows someone that works at sprint and maybe pays them under the table to change status of imei
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
cjshrader said:
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
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You sent the seller back a bad phone?
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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Well, with the refund it's now eBay seller's property (again)...
He can sell it to someone outside the U.S. and it will work.
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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This is a year old thread ?