Scammed on craigslist, alternate IMEI methods - One (M8) Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

So here's the story, i bought a HTC one M8 AT&T version on CL. I had the phone for a few days during which time i have unlocked bootloader, rooted and S-Off the phone. Well the douche i bought the phone from must have reported it lost or stolen because its blacklisted. I've searched google and numerous forums regarding a solution so i can continue to use this phone on either the same carrier or another. I know most here wont engage in this discussion in detail as it violates forum policy, BUT if ANYONE has a legit solution that i can go with PLEASE inbox me so im not stuck with a very expensive brick.

If you paid via paypal or other online methods reverse the charges or file a dispute. No such luck if you paid via cash

CyclingVinnie said:
If you paid via paypal or other online methods reverse the charges or file a dispute. No such luck if you paid via cash
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Im talking about solutions with regards to the IMEI of the device i have

Red_Devil6 said:
Im talking about solutions with regards to the IMEI of the device i have
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Only option is to use on a different carrier. Thats it. Or pay AT&T for the device, which nobody wants to do.

mikeyinid said:
Only option is to use on a different carrier. Thats it. Or pay AT&T for the device, which nobody wants to do.
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Can't use it on a different carrier since the share blacklists and i cant pay the phone off because its tied to someone elses account AND ill be damned if i pay double for the phone

Buy a parts phone with a clean imei and swap boards. Other than that, you are pooched. You could try calling AT&T and explaining that the customer is making a fraudulent claim.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

Red_Devil6 said:
Can't use it on a different carrier since the share blacklists and i cant pay the phone off because its tied to someone elses account AND ill be damned if i pay double for the phone
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Dude must have been on At&t next. You get the phone then cancel and go to t-mobile. I am a frequent CL trader and have to watch out for that all the time. I usually make sure I see a recipe or just ask a ton of questions and make a judgement call. Anyways you can always try to do HTC Advantage, and you may find someone on CL who can get another imei although not sure how kosher that is.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

To avoid this. I usually buy a different carrier's model (if they have the bands I need). This way even if it's blacklisted on the original carrier i would still be able unlock it for another carrier.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

Red_Devil6 said:
Can't use it on a different carrier since the share blacklists and i cant pay the phone off because its tied to someone elses account AND ill be damned if i pay double for the phone
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You shouldn't have an issue using another carrier. I've had friends who ran into this with other devices and just unlocked the phone and used it on another carrier.

PaulG1488 said:
You shouldn't have an issue using another carrier. I've had friends who ran into this with other devices and just unlocked the phone and used it on another carrier.
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I'm not sure if the other carriers do as well, however I am 100% sure that T-mobile and AT&T share their blacklists. So it will be useless to switch between these two carriers. How do I know this? The exact same thing happened to me. I bought an AT&T m8 and used it on T-mobile for a couple of weeks and then it got blacklisted after the original owner reneged on his contract and didn't pay the early termination fine. So phones also get blacklisted if contracts are broken and fees are due, not just if they are reported stolen.
The only legit solution that I can offer the op is to sell your blacklisted phone on ebay and CLEARLY state that it is blacklisted and for parts or export only. They work fine overseas and there is a market for blacklisted phones on ebay. So you should be able to recoup some or all of your money. Good luck

Related

[Q] Phone with bad IMEI/ How to make most profit from it?

Ok, so due to new IMEI policy by t-mobile, this galaxy s4 I bought on craigslist brand new worked perfectly for 2 weeks and then the guy reported it stolen and got a new one (insurance fraud.) I'm having the man prosecuted, but that is largely for revenge purposes. Me getting my money back is slim chance. What should I do with the phone to make the most money to buy a new one? Can I sim unlock it and sell it for use on other carriers? Or are imei blocked on all? Can I break it down and sell parts? Do people buy those? haha. I'm just looking to make the best of a ****ty situation, help appreciated Thanks in advance
milesmarrero said:
Ok, so due to new IMEI policy by t-mobile, this galaxy s4 I bought on craigslist brand new worked perfectly for 2 weeks and then the guy reported it stolen and got a new one (insurance fraud.) I'm having the man prosecuted, but that is largely for revenge purposes. Me getting my money back is slim chance. What should I do with the phone to make the most money to buy a new one? Can I sim unlock it and sell it for use on other carriers? Or are imei blocked on all? Can I break it down and sell parts? Do people buy those? haha. I'm just looking to make the best of a ****ty situation, help appreciated Thanks in advance
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I think best is try to get it unlocked and sell it overseas.
Once AT&T and T-Mobile merge their blacklist it probably won't work on any US GSM carrier.
There is really no protection now for the second hand buyer when it comes to GSM phones. The original owner will most likely file a claim for the phone as being lost/stolen so they can profit and the buyer will always get boned in the end.
I say if you do buy a used phone, at least buy it on eBay. That way there is at least some accountability and the original owner would think twice before reporting the phone stolen/lost.
Dan37tz said:
I think best is try to get it unlocked and sell it overseas.
Once AT&T and T-Mobile merge their blacklist it probably won't work on any US GSM carrier.
There is really no protection now for the second hand buyer when it comes to GSM phones. The original owner will most likely file a claim for the phone as being lost/stolen so they can profit and the buyer will always get boned in the end.
I say if you do buy a used phone, at least buy it on eBay. That way there is at least some accountability and the original owner would think twice before reporting the phone stolen/lost.
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Think it will actually get purchased?
milesmarrero said:
Think it will actually get purchased?
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He is saying the future you should buy a used phone on eBay since you will get eBay and PayPal buyer protections.
If you are selling a phone with a bad IMEI you really should have a ton of documentation to support how you obtained the device. That means all the paperwork from the court about the prosecution you are involved in.
And this isn't a new policy by T Mobile. This is a long standing policy to black list phones with IMEI's that are reported stolen.
You also need to be careful when talking about how to sell and profit from a phone with a bad IMEI on XDA. It's a touchy subject here.
Dan37tz said:
I say if you do buy a used phone, at least buy it on eBay. That way there is at least some accountability and the original owner would think twice before reporting the phone stolen/lost.
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I purchased the S3 last year on eBay. The seller waited until after the 60 days were up (to be able to dispute on paypal) to report the phone stolen/lost. eBay was also of no help. So becareful!
Agent3 said:
I purchased the S3 last year on eBay. The seller waited until after the 60 days were up (to be able to dispute on paypal) to report the phone stolen/lost. eBay was also of no help. So becareful!
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That's why you use a credit card with a long dispute time.
Agent3 said:
I purchased the S3 last year on eBay. The seller waited until after the 60 days were up (to be able to dispute on paypal) to report the phone stolen/lost. eBay was also of no help. So becareful!
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But at least you have the record of the sale right? Couldn't you have gone to the T-Mobile store or called up CS and tell them you have proof that that you purchased the phone on eBay? Wouldn't T-Mobile help unblock it in your situation since you have proof with the seller information? You could have gone a few steps further and maybe get the police involved since you have nothing to worry about, you have proof of the transaction.
People like the ones you guys describe deserve to have both kneecaps broken.
Kind of makes me wonder about mine....I bought mine on CL. It was NIB. The dude bought it from Best Buy and brought it out to me. I took it home, popped my SIM in and Voila...Wonder if it would even be possible on mine since I don't think it was ever turned on on his.
hkbladelawhk said:
People like the ones you guys describe deserve to have both kneecaps broken.
Kind of makes me wonder about mine....I bought mine on CL. It was NIB. The dude bought it from Best Buy and brought it out to me. I took it home, popped my SIM in and Voila...Wonder if it would even be possible on mine since I don't think it was ever turned on on his.
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Yeah I got **** on. There are terrible people out there.
For people buying phones on Craigslist either for T mobile or AT&T ask the seller to meet you at a store and advise a sales person to notate their account that they are selling the phone. If seller is legit they will gladly go to the store with you.
That's what I did when I sold my S3 and Nexus 4. The sales person notated my account in front of buyer so that I can not report it for insurance fraud...
saldebot said:
For people buying phones on Craigslist either for T mobile or AT&T ask the seller to meet you at a store and advise a sales person to notate their account that they are selling the phone. If seller is legit they will gladly go to the store with you.
That's what I did when I sold my S3 and Nexus 4. The sales person notated my account in front of buyer so that I can not report it for insurance fraud...
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Wish I thought of that.
OP: What did you end up doing with the phone?
That's what I did when I traded my Note 2 for the S4. Haven't had any issues to date.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
hkbladelawhk said:
Wish I thought of that.
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Good God that's brilliant! You win one internets!
I use to program my epic all the time, you could change the imei to a good one, however you'd need a donor phone and all of this is theorhetical.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Shinydude100 said:
I use to program my epic all the time, you could change the imei to a good one, however you'd need a donor phone and all of this is theorhetical.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
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Nothing about how to change imei's, regardless of you might use that ability for honest purposes, should ever be discussed on XDA at any time for any reason.
Any discussion about changing imei's is a big no-no on XDA. Its also illegal in most places in the world to mess with an imei, much like messing with the vin number on a car, no matter if you have a legitimate need to fix an old broken phone or not.
9 out of 10 people who will want to change an imei will want to do so for less than legal reasons. (Bought stolen phone. Stole phone. Want to sell a stolen phone, etc) XDA will not be a party to the distribution of that information as a result. So please do not discuss it here.
Thank you
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.
Skipjacks said:
Nothing about how to change imei's, regardless of you might use that ability for honest purposes, should ever be discussed on XDA at any time for any reason.
Any discussion about changing imei's is a big no-no on XDA. Its also illegal in most places in the world to mess with an imei, much like messing with the vin number on a car, no matter if you have a legitimate need to fix an old broken phone or not.
9 out of 10 people who will want to change an imei will want to do so for less than legal reasons. (Bought stolen phone. Stole phone. Want to sell a stolen phone, etc) XDA will not be a party to the distribution of that information as a result. So please do not discuss it here.
Thank you
Sent from your phone. You should be careful where you leave that thing.
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Thanks for understanding, disclaiming, and not attacking. I do indeed do it at my own risk/discretion, however I know what I'm doing. Either way, sorry op, that's literally the best I can do, and still be a good xda user, seek and ye shall find.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Dan37tz said:
....Once AT&T and T-Mobile merge their blacklist it probably won't work on any US GSM carrier...
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they are not merging. Prolly never will either. Fcc shut that down awhile ago. It's metro PCs who just recently merged with T-Mobile.
But I do believe att and T-Mobile share a blacklist. Think this exact situation happened to a person on the s3 forums. Said they couldn't use it on att either.
But OP. Should be able to unlock and sell over seas. Try eBay. If no buyers then part it out. Screen and digitizer as one is a good 200 if not more.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Just change out the IMEI
milesmarrero said:
Ok, so due to new IMEI policy by t-mobile, this galaxy s4 I bought on craigslist brand new worked perfectly for 2 weeks and then the guy reported it stolen and got a new one (insurance fraud.) I'm having the man prosecuted, but that is largely for revenge purposes. Me getting my money back is slim chance. What should I do with the phone to make the most money to buy a new one? Can I sim unlock it and sell it for use on other carriers? Or are imei blocked on all? Can I break it down and sell parts? Do people buy those? haha. I'm just looking to make the best of a ****ty situation, help appreciated Thanks in advance
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Click to collapse
Just change out the IMEI number so it is not blacklisted. It is not illegal in the United States, and if any moron tells you it is ask him for the link to the law. You will not find one. I got mine fixed on ebay from a company called kingpin unlockers. It cost me 60 dollars and they did it remotely in less than 30 minutes. Remotely, yes i did not have to send my phone in anywhere. Just go to ebay and copy and paste the following text in the search box:
Bad IMEI ESN repair service Samsung T-MOBILE Galaxy S4 S 4 IV M919 Blacklisted
They do both att and tmobile and also do note 2 and s3 imei changes remotely.
boredndsm3 said:
Just change out the IMEI number so it is not blacklisted. It is not illegal in the United States, and if any moron tells you it is ask him for the link to the law. You will not find one. I got mine fixed on ebay from a company called kingpin unlockers. It cost me 60 dollars and they did it remotely in less than 30 minutes. Remotely, yes i did not have to send my phone in anywhere. Just go to ebay and copy and paste the following text in the search box:
Bad IMEI ESN repair service Samsung T-MOBILE Galaxy S4 S 4 IV M919 Blacklisted
They do both att and tmobile and also do note 2 and s3 imei changes remotely.
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Just take a look at the imei cloning laws before you talk about things you have no idea about. The only people that can legally change the IMEI is the OEM.
Wayne Tech Nexus

Craiglslist safe?

Should I buy a note 3 off Craig's list or is it dangours. If its Eip I'm screw right?
Sent from my GT-I9505G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
spodie said:
Should I buy a note 3 off Craig's list or is it dangours. If its Eip I'm screw right?
Sent from my GT-I9505G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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it is safe as long as you meet in a public place like a Starbucks or something.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk now Free
You run the risk of buying a stolen devices or from a person who has been delequent on payments. For this reason, I would personally not buy and always will never buy any cellphones from craigslist. I see too many horror stories. But if you insist on buying Id make sure to ask the right questions before you buy and test the device before paying
Sent from my SM-N900T
When I buy phone off Craig's I meet only at T-mobile store and have store clerks check with T-mobile Customer Service to make sure phone is paid off and not reported stolen, then I ask to notate my account that I am the owner of the phone now and it being paid for.
This way old owner has no legal right to claim it stolen, since he is right there present with me along with store of other witnesses.
djpaul said:
When I buy phone off Craig's I meet only at T-mobile store and have store clerks check with T-mobile Customer Service to make sure phone is paid off and not reported stolen, then I ask to notate my account that I am the owner of the phone now and it being paid for.
This way old owner has no legal right to claim it stolen, since he is right there present with me along with store of other witnesses.
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Never thought of doing it that away. Smart
Just sold my Note 2 on Craigslist. Went very smooth. Nice young lady. Even made a little extra cash unlocking it for her.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Bought my note 3 on Craigslist. Easy transaction at a local Starbucks.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No because even if you go to t mobile the phone is legit the person can later say the phone is stolen n then your phone is messed up
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
atlprettygirl2145 said:
No because even if you go to t mobile the phone is legit the person can later say the phone is stolen n then your phone is messed up
Sent from my SM-N900T using Xparent Pink Tapatalk 2
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Not If the imei is transferred to a different account. Also, if this is a concern you can get a signed sales record.
Plus AFAIK, they don't blacklist stolen phones anyway. There's been some pressure from government officials to make this happen. But I don't think there's been anything yet.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Why not I bought one for 350 and I'm typing on it now lol
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
I bought one for 550 and this Tuesday my service went out, when I called they told me my phone was reported lost. I just told the guy, I have it right here. And he unblocked it.
TRUE STORY:
I bought a phone from CL, met at a TMobile location, ask them to transfer the IMEI to my line. so far so good??
No... I used the phone for a few month and one morning, no more network. I try my ATT SIM and it works. I call TMobile, they tell me I need to change the SIM what I do, still nothing. I send the phone to Samsung, they dont see any issue.
Call back to TMo, they tell me the phone was declared stolen and there is NOTHING I can do because I am not the original buyer!! a complete RIP-OFF.
The worst is that they wont take any responsability
At least ATT transfer the number to your account as long as you have the info of the previous owner so the phone really belongs to you while TMobile just say there is nothing they can do.
I first believe this blacklist system would be a great thing to avoid stolen phones, but the way it is implemented is so wrong that the only looser is the guy at the end of the food chain.
If you buy from CL, ALWAYS ask for the original receipt!!!! if they dont have it, it is fishy! and if you can have a bill of sale
CarpeNoctem said:
TRUE STORY:
I bought a phone from CL, met at a TMobile location, ask them to transfer the IMEI to my line. so far so good??
No... I used the phone for a few month and one morning, no more network. I try my ATT SIM and it works. I call TMobile, they tell me I need to change the SIM what I do, still nothing. I send the phone to Samsung, they dont see any issue.
Call back to TMo, they tell me the phone was declared stolen and there is NOTHING I can do because I am not the original buyer!! a complete RIP-OFF.
The worst is that they wont take any responsability
At least ATT transfer the number to your account as long as you have the info of the previous owner so the phone really belongs to you while TMobile just say there is nothing they can do.
I first believe this blacklist system would be a great thing to avoid stolen phones, but the way it is implemented is so wrong that the only looser is the guy at the end of the food chain.
If you buy from CL, ALWAYS ask for the original receipt!!!! if they dont have it, it is fishy! and if you can have a bill of sale
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Seems like some folks are claiming insurance fraud then selling the phones then the IMEI becomes black listed - very bad ethically and morally.
I personally have sold a few of my old iphones and more recently Galaxy S4 with no paperwork. The person checks it out it works give me cash and then bye bye. I try and prevent giving them my receipts or documents as they contain personal information on them. However I would show them it if asked.
Just curious why would some people sell their note 3 craigs list and not return it under the 14 days? Perhaps they have an upgrade and want to cash it out for a profit?
rg1973 said:
Why not I bought one for 350 and I'm typing on it now lol
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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350 for a note 3? that is crazy cheap. Must have purchased it under contract or something
Limeybastard said:
Seems like some folks are claiming insurance fraud then selling the phones then the IMEI becomes black listed - very bad ethically and morally.
I personally have sold a few of my old iphones and more recently Galaxy S4 with no paperwork. The person checks it out it works give me cash and then bye bye. I try and prevent giving them my receipts or documents as they contain personal information on them. However I would show them it if asked.
Just curious why would some people sell their note 3 craigs list and not return it under the 14 days? Perhaps they have an upgrade and want to cash it out for a profit?
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Yeah, they sell it for cash, but that doesn't make sense at all with T-Mobile now. Since you end up paying $700 for a phone. There is no point in selling it for $500 on craigslist unless you plan to commit fraud or whatever. Now, if it's contract like the other carriers, it makes sense and you can make a little bit of money.
All I can say is meet at the T-Mobile store and verify the phone is paid off. Then if possible (not sure if they would allow this) ask a T-Mo rep to make a note on the seller's account that the phone is being sold to your account and vice versa on your account. If the seller is okay with this, then it should give you a hint that he's a somewhat honest person, but anything can still happen. I say just buy the phone from T-Mobile, authorized retailer, or Newegg/Amazon.
DKYang said:
Yeah, they sell it for cash, but that doesn't make sense at all with T-Mobile now. Since you end up paying $700 for a phone. There is no point in selling it for $500 on craigslist unless you plan to commit fraud or whatever. Now, if it's contract like the other carriers, it makes sense and you can make a little bit of money.
All I can say is meet at the T-Mobile store and verify the phone is paid off. Then if possible (not sure if they would allow this) ask a T-Mo rep to make a note on the seller's account that the phone is being sold to your account and vice versa on your account. If the seller is okay with this, then it should give you a hint that he's a somewhat honest person, but anything can still happen. I say just buy the phone from T-Mobile, authorized retailer, or Newegg/Amazon.
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Good points raised. I was going to return mine and get a craigs list used T mobile version, but it ain't worth the 200 dollar or less saving for me. Like you mentioned why would they sell the t mobile one when they can get their money back from store minus 50 perhaps.
Bought mine for 600 yesterday it was still sealed I love this phone so much!
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You have to take precautions.
Have something in writing when buying or selling. Include the serial number and IMEI number then both sign it.
I have sold and bought a handful of phones with no problems. Yes I do consider myself lucky because stuff does happen.
Avoid PayPal and high check amount transactions. They are scams.
phones
I didn't know tmo had changed like this... I thought you could just pop in a sim card and be done... so now there like sprint and verizon with a id per phone?
Ya, I've seen several times, someone pays the initial down payment on a phone (or 0 down), sells the phone for full price, then defaults on the payment. The buyer usually doesn't find out for 3 months. Definitely meet at a store.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk 4

Tips buying a T-Mobile note 3 on Craigslist?

Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
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My best advice would be to ask the seller if he/ she would be willing to meet at a T-mobile location to make sure the handset is legitimate. Tell the seller a friend or relative of yours was ripped off in the past and you just want to make sure. Best of luck to you friend.
sent from my note 3
Meet in a Tmobile store and have the seller have the tmobile rep look at their account and verify the phone is not on an equipment installment plan and the imei is not reported as lost or stolen. Also get a signed recepiet (with both parties printed name and the description of the item sold)from the seller stating they sold you the phone. There are many stories where a phone is reported lost or stolen after the sale and after the imei was checked to be in good standing.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
If meeting at a store isn't possible you can call T-Mobile and have them switch it over to you over the phone while standing there with the guy before any money exchanges hands.
Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?
tony yayo said:
Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?
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Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
blakkheartt12 said:
Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?
tony yayo said:
What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?
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Apparently people do. Just search on xda for phone stop working or phone doesnt get service after working for a few months (there were a lot of threads like that in the tmo note 2 forum). Many said tmo wont unblock it until the original owner pays it off. They wont even allow you to pay it off if you wanted to. So its better to have all the evidence as possible that the phone was sold to you.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I personally wouldn't buy new T-Mo phone on craigslist nowa days, and I would be super careful and do due diligence when purchasing on eBay. Even eBay is subject to these issues, just look at how many people are selling Note 3(s) on eBay that are listed as having bad IMEI(s). Why do you think that is? People are are doing multiple different scams and such that involve the IMEI getting blacklisted after a while.
One involves people selling the phones and then not paying their bill after it was purchased on a payment plan. Once they don't pay their bill they blacklist the IMEI. The ONLY way to unblacklist the IMEI is for the original purchaser to pay their payment plan bill. Even if you legitimately purchased the phone they will not unblock it for you. I know of more then one person that has tried to resolve this with ZERO success. Going to a T-Mobile store to do the transaction will not help in this situation because often the account is not in a negative standing yet and doesn't happen till a later date. The only thing a T-Mobile store can help with is identifying if the phone is stolen or not, which doesn't help with these latest scams.
The only way to avoid this is to 100% make sure that the phone you purchased was paid for in full at full price and not on a payment plan. Even then I have heard of sellers providing photoshopped receipts to buyers only to get their phones blacklisted months or weeks later because the phones were not really paid off. One might think that eBay is safer from a seller that has feedback but no not really. Often by the time you get blacklisted you cannot leave bad feedback or file a dispute. However with that said, most card companies (VISA, MC, ETC) allow you to do a chargeback within six months of a purchase if its some type of fraud that happened as a result.
The other way involves a more scammy way that I will not explain, with again the outcome being a blacklisted phone that the 2nd purchaser cannot resolve. However these are happening all over the place and there's not a sure fire way to avoid it. The best way to avoid this is to simply buy a phone directly from a authorized seller like T-Mo, or to trust your buyer 100%.
Just saying.
There is no way to be 100% sure that a T-Mobile phone is a safe bet, unless it is coming from someone you trust.
Even if you go to a store with the seller and verify that the phone is fully paid for, they still have 30 days from the incident date to report it stolen or lost if they have insurance or JUMP! Yes it is fraud, but it is almost impossible to combat. Police will record your incident and file it, but will not actively pursue a situation such as this in most cases. T-Mobile will suggest that you contact your local police and will not do anything to help you.
Another note: If you call or go into a store and ask them to check the IMEI number, they can't give you information regarding financing unless the phone is being financed under your name or a authorized account manager. You will need the phone seller to go in to the store to verify this information for you.
I'm sure there are plenty of people out there trying to sell their TMO phones honestly, but do you want to take a high percentage chance that you are being ripped off? That percentage rises if the phone is brand new selling at a huge discount. EX. Craigslist in my city shows a guy selling 4 TMO Note 3's brand new for 550.00 each. I can almost guarantee that those phones will be blacklisted sooner or later.
buy it on swappa
There is a certain amount of risk involved. It all depends on how good of a deal you get. I've bought quite a few phones from CL then sold later on Ebay. Right now I'm using a Note 3 bought on CL for $400. I could sell it with a bad IMEI on Ebay and still make a good profit. I always disclose in my auction that the phone has been verified as clean at the time of sale but that could change in the future since I don't know the history of the phone. it doesn't seem to stop people from buying the phones.
Just last weekend I found a great deal on a S4 international version, or so I thought. After getting home and messing with it I found out it was a fake! The owner never answered my calls or texts, go figure. I was able to sell it on Ebay fully disclosed as a fake and only take about a $40 hit. If you're going to use CL you better be willing to take some risk.
Also my research leads me to belive that Tmo and att do not SHARE blacklist info for phones that the bill is not paid on, only units reported lost or stolen. Nobody had been able to prove to me they do. Since I use Straight Talk with att sim card that eliminates some risk of my phone becoming blacklisted. In my mind anyhow it makes me feel better!
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best way to buy it is to PRESUME the phone you are buying is ALREADY blacklisted. Next is to buy it at the lowest price you think it fair. For example, I bought a Note 3 T-Mobile from craighstlist for 525. The guy said it had a clean IMEI but I was skeptical of it but since it was at 525, I could not have cared less since I was planning on using it with AT&T. I later unlocked it using RegionLock Away and everything is SMOOTH. Love the phone.
i wouldnt trust craigslist.. i had bought a phone on it that i thought worked. when i came home it bricked.
Just thought I'd share my craigslist experience this morning. I wanted to post a screenshot but cannot for some reason so copy and pastiing.
Me: you still got the note 4 for sale?
Him: yes
Me: Can you provide a reciept to show that its fulky paid for and a bill of sale with your name and id number? I'm just trying to avoid insurance scammers.
Him: It's not fully paid off. I just got the phone because it came with the line which is all i needed at no additional cost to me.
Him: But I'm not eligible for insurance because I've used my two for the year up already.
Me: Well if you're selling a phone that isn't fully paid off tmobile will block it when you stop making payments. Which makes the phine useless and you're trying to sell it is fraud.
Me: lol good luck man
Him: Umm your wrong
Him: but ok
Funny how his insurance is already used up, i wonder what became of those phones hmmm. So I would encourage anybody buying off craigslist to ask the same questions i did. They're are some genuine sellers i buy and sell from Craigslist all the time.
Make sure the box is a genuine t-mobile box the phone will set in a recessed form fitted area and not just on top of flat paper.

[Q] Just got scammed and now my Note 4 is on the blacklist..

Hi, I bought a new Verizon Note 4 off craigslist about a week ago
and everything was working fine until today...
I checked the imei and it says it's been reported stolen.
I tried to get a hold of the seller but no reply
and now I don't know what to do... I'm new at this, not tech savvy at all
but i heard it's basically an expensive mp3 player now?
any help would be great.
thanks
Sorry to say bro, if it's been reported stolen, you're out of luck. At least you'll have one of the best Mp3/media player out right now.
Sent from my OnePlus One
Sorry to hear that. What you can do now is remove the SIM and using wifi. You could install GrooveIP or Hangout dialer from the market to make phone call over wifi and of course a very good MP3 player OR you can try to sell it in Ebay, even with a bad IME you should get a few hundreds bucks for it. Make sure you listed with a bad IME or Ebay will come after you.
strave24 said:
Hi, I bought a new Verizon Note 4 off craigslist about a week ago
and everything was working fine until today...
I checked the imei and it says it's been reported stolen.
I tried to get a hold of the seller but no reply
and now I don't know what to do... I'm new at this, not tech savvy at all
but i heard it's basically an expensive mp3 player now?
any help would be great.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A very expensive mp3
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
Sorry to hear that. Can you report it to the police and have them do an investigation of the person who sold it to you on Craigslist? That really sucks.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
was the deal "too good to be true?"
One way to prevent this somewhat is to call Verizon and have them officially transfer the IMEI to your account and remove it from the old owners instead of just swapping a sim card in. Whenever I have done craigslist deals this is how I do it and so far so good...
Sounds like he reported it stolen right after selling it to you. That's the bad thing about craigslist, is there likely isn't a paper trail. I always use the PayPal app and gift the funds or pay an add'l 3% for extra protection. Leave a note on the transaction saying what it's for, in your case I would've included the IMEI to show you purchased it (assuming it was actually his phone and he didn't steal it before selling it to you). I wouldn't be surprised if someone tries to contact you about the stolen phone. It probably had insurance so either the seller (or original owner if seller stole it) made a claim with Asurion.
I'd like to add that you should request to see the receipt to prove that the device is not financed.
tuxdreamerx said:
One way to prevent this somewhat is to call Verizon and have them officially transfer the IMEI to your account and remove it from the old owners instead of just swapping a sim card in. Whenever I have done craigslist deals this is how I do it and so far so good...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great idea. :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 5
phone is sim unlocked might work on prepaid AT&T maybe.
Good luck.
tuxdreamerx said:
One way to prevent this somewhat is to call Verizon and have them officially transfer the IMEI to your account and remove it from the old owners instead of just swapping a sim card in. Whenever I have done craigslist deals this is how I do it and so far so good...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mojar7070 said:
This is a great idea. :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great in theory, yes. But anyone who was using the device, as long as the IMEI registered to their account, can blacklist it. If you had a phone that you bought used and were legitimately using, and someone legitimately stole it, you'd wanna report it lost or stolen, right..? You wouldn't want the thief to be able to use it just because he called in and had the IMEI officially transferred...
Sell it to someone else
Test it with a sim card from T-Mobile or AT&T and if it works, buy a new back cover for the appropriate carrier and resell it on craigslist as a T-Mobile or AT&T phone.
was the imei good when you got the phone?
Damn that's not cool I've been dealing with Craigslist for years and never had this happen. I always meet at Verizon and have a rep do the transfer even though it's technically not required. That way if there's any funny business you have a paper trail and record from Verizon that the account owner sold you the phone (requires I.d. when doing it ).just try and sell it on ebay with bad imei as others said if it can still be used on t mo or att then you should at least be able to get 400 for it just be honest about the imei.
No response yet from the OP on the questions ask about his phone....
You can sale it as unlocked, works on the mobile. When I get bad meid devices, I sale them to people wanting to use them on MetroPCS.
Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
That's why I pop a sim into it right away. Once it's activated on your line, you're set. I had a guy try to do this to me. I even called Verizon to leave a note on my account that some guy was trying to report my phone stolen.
Sent from my SM-N910V using XDA Free mobile app
This is why Swappa.com is the best.
*Not to mention every device I have personally sold has sold in under 8 hours total..

Possible to sim unlock even if carrier says not eligable?

Hi all,
Just got a 3 XL, bought it from a Best Buy marketplace seller in Canada, said it was unlocked but when I put my sim in says contact network to unlock, nothing about entering a code like I've seen on locked phones before.
Contacted Sprint in US who found it from the EMEI and say it's not eligable for unlocking as it's either stolen or someone stopped paying their contract and sold it.
Is there any way of unlocking still or am I going to have to return it?
Thanks!
kaligula1234 said:
Hi all,
Just got a 3 XL, bought it from a Best Buy marketplace seller in Canada, said it was unlocked but when I put my sim in says contact network to unlock, nothing about entering a code like I've seen on locked phones before.
Contacted Sprint in US who found it from the EMEI and say it's not eligable for unlocking as it's either stolen or someone stopped paying their contract and sold it.
Is there any way of unlocking still or am I going to have to return it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would return it. Sprint isn't going to release a contract phone.
ktmom said:
I would return it. Sprint isn't going to release a contract phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damnit, thanks tho
kaligula1234 said:
Damnit, thanks tho
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he is correct. per sprint policy device needs to b paid in full and active for 50 days and acct needs to b in good standing before theyll unlock a device.
not to mention sounds like u dunno who the previous owners were. Sprint cannot provide u with any specific information attached to the previous owner for security reasons. This means u cant find out how much is owed or who to contact or anything.
Also to add, this sounds very suspicious.. ur saying a best buy retailer sold u a sprint device that was blacklisted or not paid off by another person? I would take it back n get ur money lol i nvr heard of them selling devices that r attached to someone else with unpaid balance or w.e the case is...if they took it in a trade or something they usually will check to see if its free and clear to avoid these types of situations..
elliwigy said:
...
Also to add, this sounds very suspicious.. ur saying a best buy retailer sold u a sprint device that was blacklisted or not paid off by another person? ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was said that it was bought from a marketplace seller. Not BestBuy directly. Kinda like buying from a third party seller off Amazon

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