Develop Bugs

so im pretty sure i bought a stolen dash

so i purchased a dash off ebay recently and they guy said it wouldnt read a sim. so i decided to bid on it cause i wanted the case housing and hell i was hoping he was an idiot. well i got it today and when i put the sim card in it worked fine, i even made a call. so i took out my sim and put it in my other dash and went on my way. now when i try it i get the sim error, no big deal. i knew that when i bought it. then i noticed the serial number and stuff were gone. rest of the dash looks fairly new.
so im wondering how does t mobile block the sim? and is their a way around it? im just wondering cause im messing around with it till i get the tools to take it apart lol.

The SIM will have been linked to the stolen phones' IMEI number.
Take the batt out of the pinched phone because, theoretically, the mobile operator could triangulate the phones position and members of your local constabulary may want to pay you a visit to discuss a recent ebay purchase.
Don't use the SIM.
It is illegal to change/alter a phones' IMEI number, so don't ask.
You could check with T-Mo to see if the IMEI has been blocked, but they will want to know where you got it etc then eBay will need to be informed and they will want to know the phones' history from the bloke you bought it off ...
You can see how this is going to end up: you out of pocket.
Don't ask about this phone on this forum again lest the mods stomp all over you in their size 10s.

If you paid via Pay Pal your purchase should be covered so file a complaint you should be able to get your money back. I would do that ASAP.

ratstrangler said:
The SIM will have been linked to the stolen phones' IMEI number.
Take the batt out of the pinched phone because, theoretically, the mobile operator could triangulate the phones position and members of your local constabulary may want to pay you a visit to discuss a recent ebay purchase.
Don't use the SIM.
It is illegal to change/alter a phones' IMEI number, so don't ask.
You could check with T-Mo to see if the IMEI has been blocked, but they will want to know where you got it etc then eBay will need to be informed and they will want to know the phones' history from the bloke you bought it off ...
You can see how this is going to end up: you out of pocket.
Don't ask about this phone on this forum again lest the mods stomp all over you in their size 10s.
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Click to collapse
how you know they got size 10's? lol. just kidding. i didnt know it was illgeal to change IMEI, or that was the only way to do it, im not wanting to do that. i think i might contact t mobile to make sure that is the problem before i go forward with anything, ill post the results on here. still tempted to just use it for the housing and chuck the rest
on a side note, since i have two t mobile dash's would it be so bad if i changed the one i bought to the same imei as the old one and just used the new one and got rid of the old one?

Before you report it as being stolen, I would suggest that you make darned sure it is actually a stolen phone. Suspicions are one thing...facts are quite another. Selling stolen property is a serious charge, so be absolutely certain before reporting this guy to eBay and PayPal.
As to changing the IMEI number, that's a whole other can of worms. I've asked similar questions before, and got "smacked down" for even mentioning it.
You see, in the USA, it is illegal to change the IMEI of a phone. Under any circumstances. For any reason. Regardless. No matter your intentions, it doesn't matter.
Our laws forbid the changing of the IMEI. Period.
It's a stupid law, that has very little bearing in reality, and *especially* with the guys on this site... But, the law is the law, and we are bound by it.
-- Chuck Knight

yea i dont like this goverment, full of stupid laws. like in some places you cant smoke in your car if you have a child under a certian age, but yet the minimum wage is far under what it needs to be to survive. where i can work 40 hours a week, still cant afford food and cant get food stamps, but some people dont work and can get them with no problem, and they drive a frickin nice car. WTF.
anyone can feel free to PM me with info about software of controversial legailty

Its a gray area. There is no law on the books in the USA that makes changing an IMEI number illegal, BUT, the law on ESN Changing (Elecronic Serial Numbers) which was written to deal with the cloning of analog phones years ago was written broadly enough that should the law want to go after IMEI changers, they very well can. So its best to steer real clear of doing it.. just in case. The only reason to change an IMEI number speaks of several illegal activities anyway, so common sense says its a problem.

well to update this i checked on some site online and it said the imei was good, i also checked the imei of the dash im using to make sure i got the same results. so maybe it just dont read sim cards

As long as you own both of the phones, it is legal in the US to change the IMEI. You don't have to worry about it anyway, no GSM provider in the US blocks IMEIs, except for the all zeros one.

Help please

Hi,
I bought my husband the HTC desire HD, he currenlty has the HTC Touch HD, i bought the new one on Ebay and all was good, however the idiot i bought it from has then subsequently had it blocked and done an insurance job on the phone. Is there any way i can unblock it, only thing is my hubby is going to come back from Afghanistan then fill this F****r in and get the 350 pound back. please help if there is anyway.

I'm not sure but I doubt it. Get a refund back fast and don't buy off of eBay. I see a lot of people that are buying phones from eBay and are getting ripped off.

Unfortunately your only real hope is to get a refund via Paypal, as long as you paid via Paypal of course!
Once the phone has been reported lost/stolen to the network, it is blocked on all UK networks. This is done by identifying the phone via it's serial number (IMEI). Only the registered owner can have it unblocked. Any other method is illegal and carries a £5000 fine or upto 5 years in prison.
If he sold you it then reported it lost/stolen, then he has commited insurance fraud, although the police won't be that helpful, I'd report the seller to them, and also there is an insurance fraud website at http://www.insurancefraudbureau.org/.
Let us know how you get on.

Get on to ebay and paypal and file a claim in the resolution centre thing,and ask for a refund straight away, the quicker the better.

Relief and thanks
well, i carried out an extensive search through all my transactions, i got the guys name address number the full ish, i then re contacted orange, explained again what had happened and then told them the reason for buying, as my hubby played his old Blackstone HD to death as he said cooked it flashed it etc, i want to get him the new state of the art phone, well believe it or not orange said well he said he didnt recieve the phone and filed a missing phone, and they then re instated the phone so a big bonus for me.
So is there anything i can download on here for him so he can play til his hearts content when he gets back from Afghan, any ideas welcome.
Cheers Tash

Wicked result, congrats..... as for apps n games im not sure as ive just got mine this week
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

There are some people in this world that are just out to make money - 1 up for the honest people!!!
I assume it's running on the Orange gumpf? If so, I'd either look to debrand it and then let your partner do what he wants with it or just leave it all to him so if he breaks it it's his fault!!!

Locked phone

So I had two nexus, one on contract and one bought a few days after release sim free off the net, although met in person. One phone was for a sim that was in a iPhone contract and wanted to switch, so needed one contract free phone.
Well two weeks later one of the phones now won't make calls. Called network provider and they told me this handset is barred, and there is no way they could unbar unless I was the person who barred it.
Now what the hell can I do? Obviously the person who I bought it from is now not available..... Typical.
Can I make this phone work? Don't want to be left with a expensive unusable handset? Is there any way someone else can make it work?
Thanks.
Ps, the lady on the phone really didn't seem to care about the whole situation to be honest.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

If you phone displays "outcoming calls are barred"(which seems to be the case) then it is 100% network issue,nothing wrong with the phone. Unless the person you bought it from reported the phone as stolen,then it will be banned from all networks permanently.

The un helpful lady told me no more than the imei is "b-listed" and to contact the phones first owner......
Which I now can't bloody do.
Barred on all networks? So no network will work, And the phone will no more than touch style device? .....
Fun days. Not buying a phone that way again.....
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

kravevr6 said:
The un helpful lady told me no more than the imei is "b-listed" and to contact the phones first owner......
Which I now can't bloody do.
Barred on all networks? So no network will work, And the phone will no more than touch style device? .....
Fun days. Not buying a phone that way again.....
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you've been burned with a common insurance scam where the seller reports the phone as stolen. I got hit with it on a G1 bought from eBay.
If you bought through eBay / similar you may be able to report it to the cops (depending on your country of origin).
I'm UK based and it took me 6 months and getting eBay, PayPal (both useless) and the UK police involved; I reported it as criminal fraud and after a while found someone to take it seriously.
The investigating officer finally got me a full refund + return costs but it was a hell of a lot of stress. I now only buy from physical stores or well established web fronts.
Good luck with trying to get your money back.

Cheers Cokemonkey, have done a fair bit of reading it most certainly seems that way. Suppose gumtree is the place for Thiefs.
After going through forums etc it seems it works abroad, our should. So thinking of advertising on there. Need to speak to my friend, haven't been able to get hold of her all day, and she probably knows what's going on more thank do to be fair lol.
Maybe see if any one abroad will or can buy it if the working outside the UK but is true. If that's not against the law? Don't know where I stand to be honest and I'd it was really loads of aggro I don't want to bee going through it for six months, especially as future is less secure than Ebay in that respect.
Thanks for the input :'-(
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

[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?
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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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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.
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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.
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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.

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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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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.