how to fix s4 bad imei? - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S 4

I just picked up the tmobile variant of the s4 on craigslist and it turned out that when i left he reported it lost or stolen and my imei was blocked. how do i fix this?

samirashid said:
I just picked up the tmobile variant of the s4 on craigslist and it turned out that when i left he reported it lost or stolen and my imei was blocked. how do i fix this?
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you dont. youve just been ripped off.
unless you use it on another carrier other then tmobile. but you would have to unlock it
out of curiosity, how much did you pay?

samirashid said:
I just picked up the tmobile variant of the s4 on craigslist and it turned out that when i left he reported it lost or stolen and my imei was blocked. how do i fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, there is no way other than trying to explain the situation to Tmobile. It's very unlikely that they will do anything, though.
This is why I always meet at a Tmobile store when buying a phone off Craigslist. Have the sale documented.

its good
TheAtheistOtaku said:
you dont. youve just been ripped off
out of curiosity, how much did you pay?
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Click to collapse
200 but its fine my local repair shop can do it

samirashid said:
200 but its fine my local repair shop can do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? would you happen to know the method on how they fix it? because the only other method i know of would be swapping it from another phone, which is illegal.

samirashid said:
200 but its fine my local repair shop can do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would advise against discussing this here. Altering your imei is illegal and not allowed to be discussed on XDA. Just some friendly advice

oops
Towle said:
I would advise against discussing this here. Altering your imei is illegal and not allowed to be discussed on XDA. Just some friendly advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well i guess im not doing t then. thanks for letting me know!

samirashid said:
200 but its fine my local repair shop can do it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You paid 200 for s4 and u tell u dont know it was blacklisted !!
Who the hell on this world goona believe that !!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

bikrame said:
You paid 200 for s4 and u tell u dont know it was blacklisted !!
Who the hell on this world goona believe that !!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A word of caution... even if you meet up at a T-Mobile store, the phone can be reported by the scammer right after he has your money and it will still get blacklisted and you're out of luck. T-Mobile will not do anything for you. The best way to buy is to get a pic of the person you're selling it, a pic of their ID, and even their license plate if you can. If they try anything fishy afterwards, law enforcement is your only friend.

bikrame said:
You paid 200 for s4 and u tell u dont know it was blacklisted !!
Who the hell on this world goona believe that !!
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's kinda got a point...
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

IMEI changing instructions are illegal and not allowed on XDA

Related

My phone is blacklisted

so my phone i bought off craigslist is blacklisted. what do i doo? can i delete the efs folder and it will work? or like unlock it and it will work on att? what do i do!?
You may be stuck. Did you get any type of proof of purchase off the person. Anyway to prove you bought it from a legitimate owner?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
i bought it off craigslist so i have to proof and the person wont pick up. what do i do!?
Without being able to prove you bought the phone in a legit deal probably nothing. Craigslist is full of this. I also got my phone from craigslist but had the guy meet me at a t mobile store and got a t mobile rep to verify the transaction.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
You may be stuck. There have been three other posts that I can remember about same thing happening. Unless you can providetmobile that you bought it feom that perso. And show he purchased it and didnt steal it, they may be able to take it off blacklist.
g1user101 said:
i bought it off craigslist so i have to proof and the person wont pick up. what do i do!?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
chib1panda said:
You may be stuck. There have been three other posts that I can remember about same thing happening. Unless you can providetmobile that you bought it feom that perso. And show he purchased it and didnt steal it, they may be able to take it off blacklist.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something i have been wondering lately... So far, i have only seen documents of the sk4g (my own personal experience) and gs2 being blacklisted. Do all phones now qualify? Only samsung?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Good job, admitting to insurance fraud on a public board...
n1n00b said:
Good job, admitting to insurance fraud on a public board...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^ hahaha
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA Premium App
There is one of three reasons you're blacklisted.
The phone was reported lost/stolen to Asurion and a claim was made.
The phone is a T-Mobile demo device that was stolen.
It was purchased on a Value plan and the customer defaulted on the bill.
You can try tinkering with the efs but no idea what trouble that will get you in or if that works on the GS2. If you can find the craigslist ad or money order receipt they may reverse it but it might have to go to risk assessment and take awhile.
ungarisch said:
WTF??? blacklist? there is no such thing, I'm currently using a GS2 that was "lost" by my GF, claimed on insurance, and "found" by me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering if they considered a difference between lost and stolen. But again, i was told they blacklist for reasons that directly affect them - fraud, theft from a store, or not making payments.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I thought asurion required that you file a police report if you told them someone stole it before they filed your claim? If you say its lost and found it later they may not blacklist it assuming that most people will . I have heard that at times asurion will allow you to keep your found phone if you claim lost then found it later. Not 100% sure on that.
jonathan3579 said:
I was wondering if they considered a difference between lost and stolen. But again, i was told they blacklist for reasons that directly affect them - fraud, theft from a store, or not making payments.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
i change any phone imei before using it.
who cares blacklist or not, it is censorship, same as SOPA and PIPA.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk
chib1panda said:
I thought asurion required that you file a police report if you told them someone stole it before they filed your claim? If you say its lost and found it later they may not blacklist it assuming that most people will . I have heard that at times asurion will allow you to keep your found phone if you claim lost then found it later. Not 100% sure on that.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. I have a manager friend at a T-Mobile store who advised me and others to NEVER report stolen.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
cgigate said:
i change any phone imei before using it.
who cares blacklist or not, it is censorship, same as SOPA and PIPA.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol
I wasnt sure you existed
yeah I don't think tmobile or asurion will blacklist a phone if it was lost because if found, it can still be used. However, if someone purposely stole a phone from a store/person, then it would be blacklisted. Not 100% sure but sounds about right.
well the phone is brand new condition. no scratches nothing. you think ill be able to sell it for only $200?
no, keep it as a tablet, or file a police report, and hope to get your money back
Don't sell it or your just as bad as the person who sold it to you
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
clninja said:
Don't sell it or your just as bad as the person who sold it to you
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true statement.unless you tell the person exactly the situation the phone is in.maybe a developer can use it
From a glaxay better than yours.
AllGamer said:
no, keep it as a tablet, or file a police report, and hope to get your money back
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seconded like in every other fraud or stolen phone thread

Got screwed...So I got 2 blacklisted phones...what should I do?

Will they work on any other carrier if I unlock them?
lol how did you manage that?
G1_enthusiast said:
lol how did you manage that?
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Click to collapse
So will they work on another carrier?
Yes, they will. Att
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Karakoram2 said:
Yes, they will. Att
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks alot man....
sounds like a stolen device...admin should lock these cause its seem very fishy...
just saying, i hate thieves and i'm sure most of us here would be too if your phone got stolen
G1_enthusiast said:
sounds like a stolen device...admin should lock these cause its seem very fishy...
just saying, i hate thieves and i'm sure most of us here would be too if your phone got stolen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello I got tricked into buy New phones.. I am not the thief here. I lost alot of money.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Make sure you flash a skyrocket radio.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
pachi72 said:
Hello I got tricked into buy New phones.. I am not the thief here. I lost alot of money.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think he was referring to you... I think he was trying to say that Admin should make a sticky that people should really check the phone's imei at tmobile store to see if they're blacklisted.
pachi72 said:
Hello I got tricked into buy New phones.. I am not the thief here. I lost alot of money.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not new if its "blacklisted" its call buying it used, you would not have this problem if you bought it new.
either way eventually tmobile gonna track you down. keep us updated if it work
i also was scamed i bought a amaze from Clist called Tmobile with imei # and thy said it was good.i used the phone for 3 weeks, then i droped it broke the screen and call insurance to get it replaced thy said the phone was reported lost and will not replace the phone. the insurance company had the phone black listed but tmobile did not.
so now im stuck with a amaze with cracked screen that still works on tmobile but is black listed with insurance.
moral of the story is you have to call tmobile and asurion with the imei # before you buy a phone from someone other then Tmobile
Return it and get your money back. You have been scammed.
It seems that this kind of thing is happening more often since T-mobile started blacklisting phones that are reported list or stolen. Also they are blacklisting phones that have been purchased on a payment plan and the owner terminated the contract and never paid for the phone or the ETF.
Good luck
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
I personally stopped trading/selling phones on cl because there are just too many kids and immature people to deal with. plus now with all this there is no guarantee that you are getting a quality product. Just contact the person and demand your money back. Tell them you'll take them to small claims court. You have evidence from Tmobile and Ashton that the phones were reported lost/stolen. And you were not aware of that at the point of sale.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
One way to protect yourself is checking the database at http://www.checkmend.com/us
Ask the seller the phone IMEI before buying. If the phone is not legit you will never hear from the seller.
Which phones are these ???
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sucks that it's pretty much not remotely safe to buy phones from craigslist anymore. I have been doing it for years and always got the latest and greatest cause some idiot had not idea how much their phone was really worth. But with all this blacklisting now at tmobile, i think i am done with that practice .
Sell them to me ???
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thoug you guys were smart enough!!
All of you ... All you gotta do its say your phone drop at the peer near the beach or a lake or sumething similar,, and insurance dosnt even care they will send you a new phone ohh also tell them you need accesories cause your dog bit them all haha i have done this **** so many times trust me you just got to call them or visit their website its faster phoneclaim.com, and you will have a new phone.. If you are a little ***** dont try this at home please hahahahaha
why lie? Asurion can see what you own, and what you've been using. You saying these things encourages others to continue this fraud business. You should be banned for saying something like that.
joselarajan87 said:
All of you ... All you gotta do its say your phone drop at the peer near the beach or a lake or sumething similar,, and insurance dosnt even care they will send you a new phone ohh also tell them you need accesories cause your dog bit them all haha i have done this **** so many times trust me you just got to call them or visit their website its faster phoneclaim.com, and you will have a new phone.. If you are a little ***** dont try this at home please hahahahaha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App
chib1panda said:
why lie? Asurion can see what you own, and what you've been using. You saying these things encourages others to continue this fraud business. You should be banned for saying something like that.
Sent from my sgh-t989 using xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im sharing my info , thats all , you should be banned for been dumb , and no they dont know what you are using, if im writin this its ebecause i know, and obviosly u dont. You just talk bro i suggest you save your words if you havent done this in the past, when you actually do it yourself n find out how does it work, then you can talk

[Q] How to buying phone from people without being scam?

I saw a thread or two someone buying S3 from someone the imei being blocked by t-mobile or just turn out to be stolen phone or something.
If I do buy the phone from someone can what are something I should check to avoid being scam?
Do the exchange at a T-Mobile store, and have the phone ownership be changed to you on the spot.
Failing that. Get the receipt.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Android_Monsters said:
Do the exchange at a T-Mobile store, and have the phone ownership be changed to you on the spot.
Failing that. Get the receipt.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I am planning to get the phone and use it on Simple Mobile. Can I still do it?
Android_Monsters said:
Do the exchange at a T-Mobile store, and have the phone ownership be changed to you on the spot.
Failing that. Get the receipt.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing it at a T-Mobile store won't stop the phone from being reported stolen. All the person has to do is call customer support after they leave the store and claim stolen.
Sent from my SGH-T999
joshnichols189 said:
Doing it at a T-Mobile store won't stop the phone from being reported stolen. All the person has to do is call customer support after they leave the store and claim stolen.
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. I think you missed the second part. I might be wrong but I don't think so.
dkmdlb said:
No. I think you missed the second part. I might be wrong but I don't think so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The receipt doesn't matter either. If you buy it from someone and they don't pay their bill or report it stolen it doesn't matter if you have the receipt or not or did it at the store or not.
If the person you bought it from can't pay their bill for the phone or service why would T-Mobile let someone else use the phone?
Sent from my SGH-T999
joshnichols189 said:
The receipt doesn't matter either. If you buy it from someone and they don't pay their bill or report it stolen it doesn't matter if you have the receipt or not or did it at the store or not.
If the person you bought it from can't pay their bill for the phone or service why would T-Mobile let someone else use the phone?
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So should avoid purchase phone from someone?
SGT2012 said:
So should avoid purchase phone from someone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you know the person, yes. Ebay wouldn't be a bad idea because of buyer protection but I wouldn't buy one off of CL unless you can prove the phone has been paid for, but even then the person can just call in and report it stolen.
joshnichols189 said:
The receipt doesn't matter either. If you buy it from someone and they don't pay their bill or report it stolen it doesn't matter if you have the receipt or not or did it at the store or not.
If the person you bought it from can't pay their bill for the phone or service why would T-Mobile let someone else use the phone?
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the second part was changing phone ownership at the T-Mobile store
If they don't really own the phone. Good way to find out.
If they do T-Mobile will switch the phone into your name.
I have a cell phone repair store
You could go to simple mobile that way too. Just go with month to month and only do a month
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Android_Monsters said:
the second part was changing phone ownership at the T-Mobile store
If they don't really own the phone. Good way to find out.
If they do T-Mobile will switch the phone into your name.
I have a cell phone repair store
You could go to simple mobile that way too. Just go with month to month and only do a month
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always found a few on craigslist around $500. I thought save $100, can spend it on better protective case, screen protector and MicroSD.
I guess may be it is too risky.

[Q] MY Samsung Galaxy 3S stolen,HELP?

Greeting
I have a Samsung Galaxy 3S, stolen from me , from about 3 weeks ago or more,
Unfortunately, I did not activate tracking process on my account in Galaxy site!
But I have a serial number to my Samsung Galaxy !!!!
Is it possible to track mobile by serial number???,
If possible Can anyone help me to tracking my Mobile by serial number?,
Or tell me how can i do??
Please help me,
Thank you very much.
No it is not possible to find a a phone using serial, if you got it from your carrier then the best thing you can do is notify your carrier and and tell them you lost it, they may tag it in the system so it is not used on their network...
Pretty sure there's nothing you can do. If you already reported stolen it can no longer be used on at&t. Sorry man...sucks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
If you happened to have made an imei backup you might be able to get your imei number from it. If the phone is ever turned on and logs onto a network then the carrier may be able to trace it.
If you have renters insurance (usually no deductible) you should be able to file a claim.
Homeowners same thing but u would have to pay..
Last I checked att doesn't care about stolen phones though.. They won't block the imei...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
digitalextremes said:
No it is not possible to find a a phone using serial, if you got it from your carrier then the best thing you can do is notify your carrier and and tell them you lost it, they may tag it in the system so it is not used on their network...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir
I o ready did all of these measures, notify my carrier and tell them,but no thing till now from them!!!
Thank you very much for your response and your support
defnow said:
Pretty sure there's nothing you can do. If you already reported stolen it can no longer be used on at&t. Sorry man...sucks.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sir
thank you for your response
crash822 said:
If you happened to have made an imei backup you might be able to get your imei number from it. If the phone is ever turned on and logs onto a network then the carrier may be able to trace it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir
I will try ,
Thank you for your help.
waiters said:
If you have renters insurance (usually no deductible) you should be able to file a claim.
Homeowners same thing but u would have to pay..
Last I checked att doesn't care about stolen phones though.. They won't block the imei...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My girlfriend got mugged and they stole her skyrocket and att blocked the imei so if they they to activate it will fail and notify att.
i727-ucle2-SkY IcS
waiters said:
If you have renters insurance (usually no deductible) you should be able to file a claim.
Homeowners same thing but u would have to pay..
Last I checked att doesn't care about stolen phones though.. They won't block the imei...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir
I will try , i hope find a solution to my problem,
Thank you for your help.
3 weeks is too long to do anything else. Had it just happened I would recommend going to "play" on google.com and installing "Android Lost" to the phone remotely. Then you could take pictures from the camera and see what the bastard looks like. You could then turn on the GPS and find out where he is. Then you go to you local walmart and purchase a nail puller from the hardware section........well you know the rest.
Whats the galaxy 3s ?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
It's between the galaxy 3 and 4; then comes the 4s.......LOL nice catch.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
You could remotely install the app called Plan B if they haven't wiped your phone yet... it's from the makers of the security app Lookout.
Carrier can only block, they will never tell you if they find it because of liability issues (so you don't go to someone's home and shoot them for the stolen phone and the carrier gets sued and you find out the poor guy paid for the phone on Craigslist from someone else who stole it, etc etc)
You can file a police report and tell the carrier to notify the cops but cops won't care much because they probably have better things (things with higher priority) to worry about.

[Q] Help bought an unpaid galaxy s3

hey guys i bought a galaxy s3 on craigslist and i got it for 350 with the box and all accessories. It worked awsome for 1 month but now the owner stopped paying his bill so i cant use it..... i was wondering if maybe i can brick my gs3 do the point where i send it to samsung repair and they cant fix it so i get sent a new phone that has difference imei. Would this work?
lazarat said:
I r fraud promoterz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes let's promote fraud. Great idea.
joshnichols189 said:
Yes let's promote fraud. Great idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aw man.
ross1998 said:
hey guys i bought a galaxy s3 on craigslist and i got it for 350 with the box and all accessories. It worked awsome for 1 month but now the owner stopped paying his bill so i cant use it..... i was wondering if maybe i can brick my gs3 do the point where i send it to samsung repair and they cant fix it so i get sent a new phone that has difference imei. Would this work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried calling T-Mobile and explaining the situation, or would that not make a difference?
Would they be atleast willing to continue letting you pay what's left of the phone?
theexel said:
Have you tried calling T-Mobile and explaining the situation, or would that not make a difference?
Would they be atleast willing to continue letting you pay what's left of the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They won't unblacklist an IMEI. Once it's blacklisted you're screwed unfortunately.
That's unfortunate.
As I hope I don't get on the same boat you're in, I too purchased a Galaxy S3 off Craigslist, so far everything's fine.
I've spoke to a T-Mobile rep and the IMEI seems clean, they've added a note on the date I purchased it and was transferred to my account.
I'm still scared what happened to you can still happen to me.
OP, to be honest, your idea sounds like it'd work, although it's on you and you have to know it's not the "right" thing to do.
Just unlock it someone using att or straight talk with att sim, save difference.and buy a new one u dont have to worry about being blacklisted,
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
This thread will be closed if discussion of fraud continues.
Any more flaming will be met with immediate infraction and/or ban
Constructive legal options only
Thank you for your cooperation
Friendly Neighborhood Moderator
What don't I understand about this?
The owner stopped paying his bill?
He was paying your cell bill while you use the phone?
I don't get it.
How many times is this gonna happen. first of all 350 is pretty cheap to sell a phone like this so u should beware of potential fraud. This is why I never buy anything on craigslist there is no protection whatsoever and tmobile needs to take more responsibility and drop customers who do stuff like this
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
You can always change your imei.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Sell it for 350 on ebay as blacklisted. It could probably go for more. You're lucky you didn't pay 500
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
rpavich said:
What don't I understand about this?
The owner stopped paying his bill?
He was paying your cell bill while you use the phone?
I don't get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original owner bought the phone on contract and stretched the payment for 20 months, he sold the phone to OP, the original owner stopped paying his phone bill, T-Mobile blacklisted the phone.
So the original owner probably bought the phone from Wallmart for $200 without needing to go the rebate route, just extending their contract and then turned around and sold the phone for $350 making a quick $150 profit on a legitimately $650 phone. Lame ass fraud there to begin with if you ask me.
Basically you can change the IMEI but the legality of that is unsound or you can just go with another carrier like ATT or whoever else uses sim cards in their phones.
the-Mike_D said:
So the original owner probably bought the phone from Wallmart for $200 without needing to go the rebate route, just extending their contract and then turned around and sold the phone for $350 making a quick $150 profit on a legitimately $650 phone. Lame ass fraud there to begin with if you ask me.
Basically you can change the IMEI but the legality of that is unsound or you can just go with another carrier like ATT or whoever else uses sim cards in their phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember reading that changing imei for this exact reason isn't truly illegal. I know xda doesn't like it being posted or links on how to do it but I totally feel for the OP in this situation. Poor guy just wants to use his phone again on tmobu
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
elesbb said:
You can always change your imei.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and then go to prison enjoy your changed imei phone
Sent from my SGH-T999
lazarat said:
Yes and then go to prison enjoy your changed imei phone
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from the guy promoting eBay fraud LOL
Sent from my SGH-T999
joshnichols189 said:
Coming from the guy promoting eBay fraud LOL
Sent from my SGH-T999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ebay is not the government lol
Sent from my SGH-T999
Imei z3x go to a place that has a z3x....
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

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