Develop Bugs

Orbit locked by O2 - long story

Hey guys,
Im a bit of a newb here so dunno if this'll make sense or or anyone could help me.
Bout 2 weeks ago i lost my xda Orbit, next day i phoned O2 and they put a block on the phone (which i originally thought meant they'd just blocked the sim card). Anyway, i claimed on my insurance and got a new one sent through the post. All comes through the next day and all is good.
Bout 3 days ago, i found the 'lost' Orbit round a friends house. Tried putting my ism card in the old phone and it wont connect to the network. It switches on fine and i can use all the programs but cannot make any outgoing or recieve incoming calls/texts.
Anyone have any idea about how i can unlock this phone? or do i need to ring O2 and get the to do it?
Any help would be extremely appreciated.
Sorry if this has already been posted before, but i couldnt find a topic with the same problem im having

Call O2 but your phone is black listed could take several days to remove the listing had a similar issue

you should also consider that since you claimed on the insurance, the phone now belongs to the insurance company.

Either you can contact O2 or wait for a free unlocker and use the phone with another provider,in case they have'nt blacklisted your imei number.

Noob or not?
No offence but did you really think that you could ask such a loaded question without sounding any alarm bells.
You should already know how it works, even if it's just by using common sense; if it's lost it's lost - you can't just accept your insurance funded replacement and then magically have two Orbits.
Why do you think they blacklist and bar IMEI's in the first place?
Either declare the find and send the replacement back and wait many days for normal service to resume, forget you found it and move on or waste your life trying to get the 'PDA', to function as a phone again... or, If your trying to screw a free mobile for nothing, just come out with it.
The truth is; by the time you are able to reuse the 'lost' Orbit it will be worth more as an antique. If you want a second Orbit buy one off ebay and stop wasting time.
Apologies if you're just young and daft.
Ste.

Sorry mate, im 23, young and daft I think not. The story is 100% genuine. I have a new Orbit now, was just curious as my brother has my old XDA MINI S and I just said to him if I could get the old Orbit working then he could have it.
Ive never lost a phone before in my life, so didnt realise the bar the IMEI number or whatever.
Just asked a simple question, just needed a simple answer. Not to be told that I was young and daft.
Anyway ive since spoken to 02, and I can have the phone unlocked in-store for £30
(will a mod please lock this thread as all questions were answered, ta very much!)

You declare your phone lost, made an insurance claim, get a new phone, unlock the old phone for £30. So, you got a new phone for £30 ? Is that a loophole to be exploited?

Marty_Orbit said:
Sorry mate, im 23, young and daft I think not.
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Click to collapse
Nope, just young and a criminal.
Your insurance company paid for a replacement - therefore the original handset (which you just "found") is their property. By trying to use it yourself, you are a thief. In fact, you steal from all of us here on the forum, as the losses which the insurance and phone companies sustain are passed on to us as increased tariffs and costs.
The forum rules (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=221545) forbid Piracy. Perhaps they should also forbid blatantly illegal acts such as what you are proposing.

Yeah so basically as everyone else as just stated you really want to get a stolen phone unbarred.
Come clean no matter how you dress it up that is what you want.
who is your insurance with because I think that you will find that if they did unlock the phone at o2 they would probably inform the insurance firm.
so you could end up with your old phone back and the shiny replacement 'lost' forever

Posting on a legendary thread

[Q] Buying a phone from craigslist or ebay

I bought a GS2 from someone off craigslist and then they reported it stolen and I had a device with a bad IMEI.
I think down the road I would like to see my GS2 for a One S. How can I do this safely? What should I require from the buyer to prevent that from happening again?

decko5 said:
I bought a GS2 from someone off craigslist and then they reported it stolen and I had a device with a bad IMEI.
I think down the road I would like to see my GS2 for a One S. How can I do this safely? What should I require from the buyer to prevent that from happening again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... You would have to talk to a lawyer about this. If you could find a way of writing up a legal contract (which isn't too difficult) that would stop the seller from doing anything that would ruin the sale, then you might be ok. The problem is that doesn't stop them, and if they did something then you would have to take them to court. That's a lot of money for a little assurance.
I think the more typical answers is you would need some luck, or to buy from someone you trusted. On ebay you can look at their record and see if other people buying cellphones were happy and that no one had this issue, but that could still be sketchy (and cost more than your average used phone).

What if I make the seller meet me at a T-Mo store and have him make sure that the seller does not have insurance plan? maybe that'll be a way to prevent this?

He needs a police report to file that claim. You now have stolen property. I would make that your first concern. I would do what I had to do to prove insurance fraud just on principal alone.
Craigslist is hit or miss. I've been burned twice. But my most recent gs2 purchase went smooth.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium

I would recommend not using either. Use swappa. All the IMEIs are clean, no damage. Was gonna buy my SGS2 off of it, but got a better deal through the store.

You're right, the best way to prevent this if to meet at a store. We have an imei blocking tool that we can reference.
Only problem is that the if the claim is still being processed, it will show unblocked.
I guess it's a good sign if the seller is willing to meet at a store in the first place.

Not sure if it is unlocked. But if it is and the issue is not sorted, you can use it on another carrier still. Not a total loss atleast.

android4sunny said:
Not sure if it is unlocked. But if it is and the issue is not sorted, you can use it on another carrier still. Not a total loss atleast.
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Click to collapse
Except that the FCC just passed new regulations that require AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-mobile to share a database off blocked IMEIs.

I bought my SGS2 from Craigslist and what ended happening is I was way hesitant to buy.
Took longer than expected to meet up, but he explained the situation. The dude has a $500 tmobile bill and is moving back to Texas. And just this week I've actually abandoned my G2X and am using my GS2 as my main device.
Luckily I didn't get sold a banned IMIE
This is the reason I like GSM phones. I guess it makes sense for people snatching and selling stolen devices, but sucks you have to do more to make sure you don't get screwed.

If there is nothing preventing people from screwing you with ebay protecting you for 90 days then there is absolutely nothing protecting you in craigslist where they wouldn't care if you got stabbed in a transaction

G1ForFun said:
Except that the FCC just passed new regulations that require AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-mobile to share a database off blocked IMEIs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Incorrect. The carriers are working with the FCC on a plan to curb phone theft that may involve using a shared database.
However, this is not regulation passed by FCC. It's also important to note that other countries have been using this type of theft tracking database since 2002, and the database itself has been in existence since 1996.
As usual, the US is behind the rest of the world by about 10 years.
On topic, it really is buyer beware when buying used. Meeting at a TMo store, having the rep verify if IMEI is valid, having it on record that the phone was sold and transferred to the buyer, all help in reducing the likelihood of getting burned.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

honestly, try to buy devices with the box that has the matching imei number, although this has a chance of getting banned too, it is much slimmer.
Many of banned devices are results from stolen phones or are the replacement phones where the person goes "oh i did not receive my package" and ends up selling it.
You can meet in the t-mobile store, have them take note or call or rep and have them put a note that the IMEI is now in use by your account and should not be banned. You can even photocopy or take a picture of the guy's ID, if the guy is reluctant to give you his INFO, don't buy it.

I bought my phone on craigslist NIB, I never knew of this IMIE stuff. Luckily for me, my phone's been fine (knock on wood)

I talked to multiple customer service agents who told me there was nothing they could (or would) do about the situation. Even if the guy meets you at the store and the reps watch, they are just witnesses. It would help if you have to take the guy to court, but is it really worth it?
I mean, it sucks, but it's a gamble.

Well there are many honest people out there doing honest transactions but I think this latest burn has ruined me. I used to love swapping phones very often and I planned to swap this for the One S. It's a shame.

degeneration said:
I talked to multiple customer service agents who told me there was nothing they could (or would) do about the situation. Even if the guy meets you at the store and the reps watch, they are just witnesses. It would help if you have to take the guy to court, but is it really worth it?
I mean, it sucks, but it's a gamble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add in court fees to the total amount.

just unlock the phone and sell it and tell the buyer about it. Only issue is if they are using the phone on tmobile.
It'll work perfectly fine on another carrier. All of the phones I have been through I unlock for a local carrier. Past few years since the nexus one came out I've been through almost every higher end android phone and never once have had an issue.

funny this thread comes up, a year ago i acquire a tmobile G2 from CL, and it was stolen, all i had to do was cooperate with a detective and track down the thief, dont know if they caught them but i get to keep the phone.
in the future i think you should all your service and give them the IMEI numbers to see if it stolen. dont know if that works but doesnt hurt to try.

HTC One x barred by o2 network

how can i unbarred it and use the uk sim card?
any ppl can provide the unbarred the solution?
or other solution that can make my phone receive signal and used back sim card?
i bought this phone at a UK forum and right now it get blocked so i guess it was a stolen phone
so what i can do is only treat is as a htc ipod touch
and is this possible to use oversea sim card?
I am a noob fresh user from htc one x ~
help pls ~thanks

i dont think its barred, it network locked, <--- maybe not
you need to find that person and ask him to ask his network to get it unlocked,
he will need the phone imei no.
teanbread said:
how can i unbarred it and use the uk sim card?
any ppl can provide the unbarred the solution?
or other solution that can make my phone receive signal and used back sim card?
i bought this phone at a UK forum and right now it get blocked so i guess it was a stolen phone
so what i can do is only treat is as a htc ipod touch
and is this possible to use oversea sim card?
I am a noob fresh user from htc one x ~
help pls ~thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If it is barred then you can't use a UK so you'll need to change the IMEI which in itself is illegal in the UK.
Each time you enter a sim it checks for the unique code which is registered when your phone is blocked. Hence why you'll get no signal.
An international sim will work if you are using it abroad.
However as posted by thunder it could be that the phone is network locked so only the original network sim will work you need to find out if it's network locked or actually blocked.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

that seller dun wan asnwer my call anymore
mean i can solve this problem by unlocked the network or using other sim which not from any UK network right?

Use checkmend. Google it. Think it's £1.99 and it will tell you it's status. Wether it's network barred, reported lost or stolen.
sent from my tegra 3 powered, HTC beast.

i confirm that the phone is get barred ~
so what i can do right now?
pls save me

Ask the seller for a refund. It could be a stolen phone or insurance scammed. I would first ask the seller and or contact the forum mods which in turn may tell you to go to the police if it's a stolen handset.
There is nothing you can do legally to change imei as this is illegal.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Sounds like you've been pretty much done in. Based on the condition you're describing it surely classes as having been sold a faulty or misrepresented good, so it's time to do the following (and fast):
If an intermediary like PayPal was used, file a complaint immediately and dispute the transaction
Get in touch with your bank and file for a chargeback; with credit cards you have pretty much guaranteed cover here, for debit cards you should still be covered so long as it's VISA [1][2]
Also, don't forget that Distance Selling Regulations entitle you to an unconditional 7-day window for returning any good you're not happy with so long as it's in original condition (it is not necessary for the packaging to be in good condition or even present at all).
You can of course consider notifying the police too, but that may result in the phone being confiscated and you not getting your money back. If the seller won't respond to your contact now, the chargeback should get his attention and you can go ahead and return the phone if you like — then tell the police anyway once you have your money.
As I see it, you're most likely going to get your money back so long as the purchase wasn't below £100 and thus not eligible for cover (If you seriously thought you were getting a legit One X for this much WTF were you thinking?), done through pure cash, or past the claim time limit — if any of those are the case I guess you can treat this as a hard lesson in how to shop more carefully online.

Sounds like you've been pretty much done in. Based on the condition you're describing it surely classes as having been sold a faulty or misrepresented good, so it's time to do the following (and fast):
If an intermediary like PayPal was used, file a complaint immediately and dispute the transaction
Get in touch with your bank and file for a chargeback; with credit cards you have pretty much guaranteed cover here, for debit cards you should still be covered so long as it's VISA [1][2]
Also, don't forget that Distance Selling Regulations entitle you to an unconditional 7-day window for returning any good you're not happy with so long as it's in original condition (it is not necessary for the packaging to be in good condition or even present at all).
You can of course consider notifying the police too, but that may result in the phone being confiscated and you not getting your money back. If the seller won't respond to your contact now, the chargeback should get his attention and you can go ahead and return the phone if you like — then tell the police anyway once you have your money.
As I see it, you're most likely going to get your money back so long as the purchase wasn't below £100 and thus not eligible for cover (If you seriously thought you were getting a legit One X for this much WTF were you thinking?), done through pure cash, or past the claim time limit — if any of those are the case I guess you can treat this as a hard lesson in how to shop more carefully online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DSR won't apply with this situation as it was a private sale according to the OP.
You have to be very careful when doing private sales on forums, same thing happened to me, bought my sister a SGS2 it came with a receipt and everything from a private seller, a year later she went to CPW to trade in and they found out that it was an insurance scammed phone! The odd thing was it wasn't barred as UK sims were still working in them but could have been barred at anytime.
Contact the seller, say if they don't give the only back you will contact the police as effectively this was a fraudulent sale, they probably won't do much at all but hey it'll make the seller aware you won't give up.
But contact the moderators of the forum you purchased this from and let them get involved as well.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Ah, didn't realise DSR didn't apply to such sales. As a general rule I avoid private selling like the plague because I've heard too many horror stories, unless it's via eBay which offers you somewhat reasonable protection and is why you should insist on going through such a medium unless you literally know the person.
OP: I think you can still go down the chargeback route though, have a look through the links I posted before and figure out if you can make a claim. You never know simply appealing to the seller's goodwill by saying it doesn't work may get you a refund, but I'm guessing not.

Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:

springy0114 said:
Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:
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Click to collapse
wow they actually did something about it? and there was a result!?!?!

springy0114 said:
Hi i had this happen to me, i swapped my SGS 2 for another phone and the phone i swapped for become barred.. I didnt know what to do but a friend of mine said contact the police, so i did i gave them the persons name and contact number who i got it off and the police managed to get my phone back and it was in London too on its way to India (im from Sheffield). So i would suggest contacting the police worth a shot:good:
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Click to collapse
Good to hear a positive story for once with the feds doing something positive! Quie common for phones to end up back in Asia, big demand for them there as well as all the scams that go on with them!

T-Mobile IMEI Check WebService

Hi
I wanted to share a recent story with all of you, what happened with my experience. 4 months ago, I purchased an S3 from someone off of CL. I am extremely careful with purchasing mobiles from there, due to the possibility of getting screwed out of hard earned money that only benefits the person screwing you. Before I purchased the mobile, I did an IMEI validation through T-Mobile's web service, along with a couple more IMEI checks. T-Mobile's web service advised that the phone was not reported lost or stolen and that it was ready for activation. The other web services reported the same result, so based on what is supposed to be a reliable source of information, especially from the carrier itself, I bought the mobile.
GoSmart wouldn't add the phone to my plan because they said the phone had been blacklisted as lost and/or stolen. I told GSm that was impossible since the carrier who issues the device reported the phone clean. This started what turned out to be a 3 month battle between myself and T-Mobile. I phone them up, and after a bit of "we're checking, hang on" or "give me just a few minutes more as I am having to access another system", they informed me that indeed the phone had a lost/stolen insurance claim on it and that the IMEI was blocked. I escalated to a supervisor, only to be told the same information. I explained to them that had their web service been working at the time I used it, I would not have made the purchase. And for the next month, once per week, I continued discussing with customer service, along with checking their IMEI site showing that the phone was still reported clean. They advised me that Asurion claims and blocks do not show on the IMEI site, and I told her that the customer is in the dark about that, and there is no disclaimer on the site alerting anyone of this fact. I also wanted to verify #1 that I was not losing my mind, and #2 to make sure I was on solid enough ground to insist to be escalated to someone in TMo's IT department. I wanted someone to first explain to me why their web service was not accurate, and 2nd to make sure that someone who could make that change to their system got the ball rolling on fixing their web service so that some other unfortunate soul would have to go through what I'd been through so far.
Enter Alisha, systems analyst from TMo IT. Out of anyone who I have ever talked with in any customer service arena, she was by far the best, sympathetic, and understanding person I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Ever. I told her I was a system analyst, I know what they go through when it comes to issues like this and that it needed to be resolved. She then did what no one in customer service offered to do for me, and that was to check both systems to see if I was telling the truth. And sure enough, she discovered that they did in fact have an issue. Even after this discovery, she said that due to the phone being blocked by Asurion that she was powerless to do anything. I told her that the hope of the phone being unblocked was well in the past now, by goal was to get them to fix the problem that forced me down this road in the first place.
The end is near I promise. I still think I was wronged on the business side of the equation, so I went to the BBB and filed a complaint. The following Friday, I receive a call from TMo Customer Service, and after an hour on the phone the gentleman told me that due to the way the claim was filed, that he would open a ticket to send to the team that would be able to unlock the phone and that it would be unlocked by that coming Monday. I was elated. Monday comes, and the phone is still locked. I call customer service again, only to be told "the gentleman who told you that did not have the authority to do so, and did not have the means to make a promise like that due to the phone being insurance blocked." I went off, stating that their company's inability to effectively train their employees, especially those who handle escalated issues was not my concern. She apologize profusely. I went back to the BBB and updated my ticket, stating that the company made an obligation to me, they didn't follow through and to contact the business again. 2 days later, an email arrives from TMo stating the obvious "Mr Harrison should not have purchased a phone from an unauthorized source, yadda, yadda", followed by "due to the nature of the circumstances, we are willing to make a 1 time exception for him and have unblocked the IMEI number." My phone was unblocked and remains unblocked today.
I wanted to share my story with all of you because the bottom line is that until you pick up that phone and talk to someone voice to voice at TMo, do not use the IMEI site as your only source of verification. I thought I was safe by using not only their site, but 2 others, and a call to the police to see if the phone was stolen, but I wasn't safe. Use the site as a preliminary determining factor, but then pick up the phone and talk to their customer service directly to make sure the site is telling you right. And when they tell you it is, then double-check to make sure the phone does not have an insurance IMEI block on it.
Thanks!

I don't think you understand that yes the phone was fine before you bought it but afterwards the person who sold it to you reported it stolen, and probably got another one after paying a deductible while still making money off of the one sold to you. You keep repeating about before you bought it, but you failed to realize its a common scam on CL and you should really be careful next time. You're lucky T-Mobile hooked you up though.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Though there may have been a breakdown in the systems being able to communicate, it still doesn't change the fact that the phone you bought was stolen. You can argue specifics about who told you what and when, but in the end it doesn't change the fact that the device is stolen property.
I'm not saying you shouldn't be upset about getting scammed, but you sound like you are trying to vent all your anger in T-Mobile's direction, when it is not their fault that someone stole a device from them and used it to scam you. It's the criminal who stole the phone and then stole your money that you should be most angry with.
Sure, you didn't know that you weren't getting info from all the sources you should have, probably would've been the same for me and everyone else, but it's not really anyone's fault. They have been updating the way blacklists work for some time now, and while it's getting better, we can't expect instant perfection.
I am glad you shared that T-Mobile doesn't currently have their blacklist synced to Asurions btw, that is very good to know. I just think your anger is a little misplaced is all. From what I've read T-Mobile has been one of the more proactive in sharing blacklist info. Currently they share theirs with AT&T, possibly others.
As I understand it though, in a few months this should all become a bit of a non issue. I've been told that they will be implementing a nationwide blacklist, that all carriers and insurance companies will use, so there will only be one to worry about, and when a device is added to the list, it is instantly blocked everywhere in the US (and maybe Canada).
Sorry to hear about your misfortune, but I consider you extremely lucky to have got them to unblock it. I seriously doubt that would've happened anywhere else. I'm happy for you that they did nonetheless.
Sent from my SGH-T999N using Tapatalk

@dudenphx
First off, allow me to commiserate with your travails. I really do feel bad for you. I am glad it has ended well in the end.
It is a great discovery you made that T-Mo IMEI Checker does not have Asurion Blocks. That alone in my mind gives you Kudos that you greatly deserve. I thank you for that.
So to the problem per se. I am afraid I agree with Doc. You did check on CL Scams. But that was probably was not sufficient. The modus operendi of CL Scam is to Report Stolen AFTER the Sale Not before .
If at all I am buying a phone on Craig's list, I'd first take the IMEI to Assurion and have them Change Ownership on their records for that IMEI. This is similar to Vehicle VIN Number registration to DMV. After that, I'd call the Carriers to do the same thing. Only after that has happened, that I will pay the seller the full amount. I am sure this is not a foolproof way, but at the least I can hang it on Assurion so they don't block the IMEI. If I know them any better, they will still wriggle out of that and block it. But may be I am the half empty kind.

Thanks
Perseus71,
Thanks for the kind words. It felt like Rudolph vs the Abominable Snow Monster, and that really sucked.
There has to be a solution that isn't 100% airtight (nothing is these days), but something that would be as low of a risk as possible. Have you called Asurion before and did the ownership change? What would they require for this to be done? I like buying stuff on CL, this was the first bad experience I had, but I would like to continue buying on CL. The risks are there, but isn't life full of risks anyway?
thanks!

Bought a stolen Pixel 2 xl

So I bought a phone that was working until today and all of the sudden it is a reported stolen phone and I can't get in touch with the seller. It was a Verizon Pixel 2 xl. I was using it on MetroPCS successfully until today. Can this be unlocked somehow?

I think you better report to the police. Possession of stolen property is a crime

Unless it belonged to the seller and he didn't pay it off..... Thanks for the lack of help.

Can you go to a Verizon or Metropcs store to check it out...

You are out of luck unless you can straighten it out with Verizon.

Nickdroid86 said:
So I bought a phone that was working until today and all of the sudden it is a reported stolen phone and I can't get in touch with the seller. It was a Verizon Pixel 2 xl. I was using it on MetroPCS successfully until today. Can this be unlocked somehow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If Seller will not immediately refund the purchase, the Only thing to do with a stolen phone is tell local police the entire story about Seller.
You can't get a stolen phone to function once blacklisted. If you could find a shady character to "flash" something, you would sooner or later be found out.
Not worth it.

michaelbsheldon said:
If Seller will not immediately refund the purchase, the Only thing to do with a stolen phone is tell local police the entire story about Seller.
You can't get a stolen phone to function once blacklisted. If you could find a shady character to "flash" something, you would sooner or later be found out.
Not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this doesn't help now, but you have to keep it in mind about a deal that is too good to be true -- it usually isn't.
But let me ask you this; how exactly do you know that its been reported stolen? If you're trying unsuccessfully to connect a stolen phone to a network using your sim card, that would alert your service provider to the fact that you have a stolen phone, and so I would suspect that you can expect the police to knock on your door shortly.

Ok, so let's get the 800-lb gorilla out of the way here. The phone has been blacklisted. Why has it been blacklisted? Either the seller cancelled their service and refused to pay the ETF fee, or the device was stolen. Regardless of why, both options lead to the same end result: an unusable device.
If the device is blacklisted due to the seller refusing to pay the ETF, the only way to resolve the issue is to pay the ETF fee.
If the device is blacklisted due to being stolen, nothing will resolve the issue. The P2XL would need to be sold, either as a parts device, or to a buyer out of the country.
Unlocking a device will not help here, and in the case of Verizon is moot: Verizon does not SIM lock their devices. A few years ago it was possible to switch carriers and get around the blacklist, but that has changed. The carriers all access the same blacklist, and a device blacklisted on one carrier is blacklisted on all of them. The one loophole in the blacklist is if the device is transported outside of North America. The blacklist in the US is not used worldwide, and thus devices outside of the country will work.
Now that we've covered the issue of blacklisting, let's touch on the theft issue. It's very unlikely that Verizon is going to send anyone to retrieve the device. Even though the device costs a fair amount of cash, the carriers cannot pinpoint exactly where the device is, except to note that it's using a specific cell tower. By blacklisting the device they have rendered it unusable and have already written it off.

if you bought it via swappa or something like that you can file a claim against the user
if via craigslist or in person, you have no real recourse

96carboard said:
I know this doesn't help now, but you have to keep it in mind about a deal that is too good to be true -- it usually isn't.
But let me ask you this; how exactly do you know that its been reported stolen? If you're trying unsuccessfully to connect a stolen phone to a network using your sim card, that would alert your service provider to the fact that you have a stolen phone, and so I would suspect that you can expect the police to knock on your door shortly.
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Click to collapse
It worked yesterday when i first added it to my ascot. Today, this afternoon it stopped working and when i checked the IMEI, it was reported lost or stolen. It wasn't yesterday when I checked it. Seller is MIA. Can I order a motherboard or something for it that will fix the issue?

Nickdroid86 said:
It worked yesterday when i first added it to my ascot. Today, this afternoon it stopped working and when i checked the IMEI, it was reported lost or stolen. It wasn't yesterday when I checked it. Seller is MIA. Can I order a motherboard or something for it that will fix the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, if it is listed as stolen you are done. You can give it to the cops, and the info you have on the seller if you want.

Couple of concerns here.
If I give up the phone, I am out both my money, and the phone. In which case the police will literally do nothing. The phones already been written off and likely replaced.
If I keep it, I have seen multiple claims of company's that can clear a bad IMEI for a fee.
However, I thought that my phone being a Verizon variant, just wouldn't work on Verizon but would work on gsm still? What ever happened to that?

Nickdroid86 said:
Couple of concerns here.
If I give up the phone, I am out both my money, and the phone. In which case the police will literally do nothing. The phones already been written off and likely replaced.
If I keep it, I have seen multiple claims of company's that can clear a bad IMEI for a fee.
However, I thought that my phone being a Verizon variant, just wouldn't work on Verizon but would work on gsm still? What ever happened to that?
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It was explained for you in an earlier post. YOUR PHONE WILL NOT WORK IN THE USA BECAUSE ALL USA CARRIERS USE THE SAME BLACKLIST. YOU WOULD HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTRY OR FIND SOMEONE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY TO PURCHASE IT OFF OF YOU.

twiz0r said:
It was explained for you in an earlier post. YOUR PHONE WILL NOT WORK IN THE USA BECAUSE ALL USA CARRIERS USE THE SAME BLACKLIST. YOU WOULD HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF THE COUNTRY OR FIND SOMEONE OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY TO PURCHASE IT OFF OF YOU.
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Oh ok, well now that you say it in all caps lock, it makes sense.......

Nickdroid86 said:
Oh ok, well now that you say it in all caps lock, it makes sense.......
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Well you didn't understand when someone typed it normally so...

twiz0r said:
Well you didn't understand when someone typed it normally so...
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Right but it still doesn't explain if you're just saying that because it's unethical, or actually impossible. Because like I said there's companies out there with decent reviews that claim they can fix this issue....

Nickdroid86 said:
Right but it still doesn't explain if you're just saying that because it's unethical, or actually impossible. Because like I said there's companies out there with decent reviews that claim they can fix this issue....
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I don't know anything about bypassing IMEI bans, but I would *assume* that there's some sort of rule on XDA about discussing things of that nature.

This is simple. Be sure you have all your info together about the seller. Print out all correspondences, screen shot and print out any communications (texts, call logs, etc), write down all of the phones info clearly (IMEI, model, etc, etc). Bring that paperwork to the police (don't bring the phone at this time) and file a report. Take said report and contact Google. Email them all of the info including the police report. Wait to hear from Google. Chances are good they will offer some form of assistance, possibly an offer to send in the phone for full reformatting if no one has made claim to that phones IMEI. They may offer a discount on another device. They may tell you to go pound sand. Either way, that's your best/only option at this point.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs

Nickdroid86 said:
Right but it still doesn't explain if you're just saying that because it's unethical, or actually impossible. Because like I said there's companies out there with decent reviews that claim they can fix this issue....
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You are now venturing into territory that is very much frowned upon by XDA moderators. Not giving you a hard time, just a heads up.

I agree, if anyone has info please pm me. Feel free to close the thread.