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Please help me with this problem, i bought 1 samsung galaxy s3 t999 of t-mobile from 1 guy on craiglist.com 3 months ago, for the 1st 3 months, the phones work fine, but just last 4 days, my phone can not call, text or internet (i used prepaid plan $50/month from t-mobile), then i called t-mobile technician support 5, 6 times, after all they said my phone locked by t-mobile, because the owner of the phone didn't pay the bills, they said my phone right now can not using anymore, except i can find the onwer, i tried some unlock code of some website on internet, but it didn't works, either, i hopfully anyone here can help me with this, thanks alot.
Odds are he bought the phone on EIP, sold it and pocketed the difference and just recently cancelled out his contract. Your best bet is probably to sell the phone on craigslist to someone not on T-Mobile. I haven't heard about any solution to this problem.
Only solution is to use it on at&t or another SIM company. Imei has been blocked out on T-Mobile network. That's what the code you bought is for. To use it with another carrier.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
You are screwed. Buy an unlock code, unlock it and use it on AT&T or sell it to someone that can.
Sent from my SGH-T999
josh said it. close thread.
That sucks!... Where are u located??
Sorry it's locked and you won't (cant) use it on tmobile
Sent from my SGH-T999
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
mikeetastic said:
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems to be happening more and more with new phones, and a reason that Ebay is a good option since they offer buyer (and seller) protection.
I am not saying you were scammed, but think of this:
You have the sellers temporary phone # she got from the local prepaid store, and an email she made that day? What is that going to do now? Do you know where the seller lives, or their real name? The two items you are saying you have may not be that effective to trace back to the seller.
However, I wish you the best of luck and no problems.
When will people learn.. 95% of the time Craigslist ='s bad.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
I bought my GS3 from craigslist except it was a refurbished model. I've only had it a couple days though...
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
kobe4rings said:
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it makes you *the seller or trader* look suspicious? I'd never buy a phone that's been blacklisted.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium
mikeetastic said:
Now im concern too because i just got a bnew T999 s3 sealed for $450 on craigslist 2 weeks ago.. I hesitated at first because it's too cheap but seller needs the money badly she says so i bite because phone is sealed with no problems..
Should i be worried? i still have the sellers email and phone number, do you think its a good idea to ask her?.. Will it also work if i go to a t-mobile store and ask them to verify the imei of my purchased phone?
Thanks all in advance for the reply..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pytyper483 said:
This seems to be happening more and more with new phones, and a reason that Ebay is a good option since they offer buyer (and seller) protection.
I am not saying you were scammed, but think of this:
You have the sellers temporary phone # she got from the local prepaid store, and an email she made that day? What is that going to do now? Do you know where the seller lives, or their real name? The two items you are saying you have may not be that effective to trace back to the seller..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Afaik eBay/paypal buyer protection covers you for 45days? But according to the OP it happen after 3 months... But yeah youre right if my seller reports that her phone got stolen or didnt pay her bill after a few days or months then im screwed???
kobe4rings said:
why does everyone worry about having a phone that is blocked ? unlock it and sell it or trade it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much is the cheapest unlock code for my device? And where to get it? I dont usually buy expensive stuff on CL but this S3 i got is a steal... I might sell it now before it gives me headache in a few months..
If you are going to spend $400-500 on a phone from Craigslist, you might as well just save up for another $100-150 to buy it a from a reputable seller. IE Ebay, Amazon...etc.
But yah, phones on Craigslist = trouble.
Sorry to hear man.. i know your pain
Unlock the phone. Tmobile will even do it for you since they don't bother looking up the status of the phone when they ask you to. This happened to me before and it sucks, but that's what happens when you don't trust your gut. =/ (even sometimes when you do you're wrong)
SO
Unlock it.
Sell it to someone who can use it on ATT.
and get yourself a replacement through a better way..
Cheapest unlock ive found is 7.99 dollars on ebay. You have to let the person access your pc via remote access and let him unlock your connected phone via usb. search ebay "t999 unlock".
babymatteo said:
If you are going to spend $400-500 on a phone from Craigslist, you might as well just save up for another $100-150 to buy it a from a reputable seller. IE Ebay, Amazon...etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know about eBay since your only protected from Paypal for a few days after purchase and like the OP said it happened after 3 months.. and you cant even view the original ad/listing on eBay after 90 days..
arctic84 said:
Sorry to hear man.. i know your pain
Unlock the phone. Tmobile will even do it for you since they don't bother looking up the status of the phone when they ask you to. This happened to me before and it sucks, but that's what happens when you don't trust your gut. =/ (even sometimes when you do you're wrong)
SO
Unlock it.
Sell it to someone who can use it on ATT.
and get yourself a replacement through a better way..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
share your story? what happen? how many days did it last from purchase till T-Mobile blocking it?
will try to call or visit the store and see what can they do about unlocking my device, still fully functional right now and hoping that my seller really needs the money that's why she sold it @$450 and doesn't do anything to her account or or report it stolen...
kobe4rings said:
Cheapest unlock ive found is 7.99 dollars on ebay. You have to let the person access your pc via remote access and let him unlock your connected phone via usb. search ebay "t999 unlock".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot.. giving the eBay seller a remote access is safe right? or maybe make a guest account to be more safer?
mikeetastic said:
i don't know about eBay since your only protected from Paypal for a few days after purchase and like the OP said it happened after 3 months.. and you cant even view the original ad/listing on eBay after 90 days..
share your story? what happen? how many days did it last from purchase till T-Mobile blocking it?
will try to call or visit the store and see what can they do about unlocking my device, still fully functional right now and hoping that my seller really needs the money that's why she sold it @$450 and doesn't do anything to her account or or report it stolen...
Thanks a lot.. giving the eBay seller a remote access is safe right? or maybe make a guest account to be more safer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to be a debbie downer, but if you got it for $450 when they sell for more it's likely going to be blacklisted. Everyone on CL says they need money.
So is this a new thing T-Mobile is doing, or a GSIII thang. Never heard of them being able to lock a phone out of the system because of a unpaid bill, if it was reported loss or stolen maybe, never heard of this till now tho
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think it will actually get purchased?
milesmarrero said:
Think it will actually get purchased?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Hi,
I bought a used HTC one on craiglist only to find out that is is stolen. Att wouldnt allow me to activate it.
I am so stressful now. What other option do I have with other carrier at all? Don't tell me to use as a wifi fone please.
Here is my IMEI. I dont understand that I already check that IMEI first hand, it shows clean, but somehow I still got scam.
354439052041318
stagius24 said:
Hi,
I bought a used HTC one on craiglist only to find out that is is stolen. Att wouldnt allow me to activate it.
I am so stressful now. What other option do I have with other carrier at all? Don't tell me to use as a wifi fone please.
Here is my IMEI. I dont understand that I already check that IMEI first hand, it shows clean, but somehow I still got scam.
354439052041318
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ESN: 354439052041318 (IMEI)
IMEI Check
Valid ESN is not blacklisted.
ESN is does not appear to be blacklisted suggesting it should be activation ready.
T-Mobile
Valid ESN appears ready for activation!
This indicates the ESN is valid and should be ready for activation.
IT SAYS ITS NOT BLACKLISTED CAN WORK WITH T-MOBILE IT SAYS
But I thought ATT and Tmobile share the same list. If one is report, the other carrier should have it as well.
stagius24 said:
but i thought att and tmobile share the same list. If one is report, the other carrier should have it as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it dosent both are diffent not the same so your good
bigceez said:
it dosent both are diffent not the same so your good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not saying I am not trusting you. But I just read on the forum that if carrier got report for stolen, other GSM will do the same. If I am wrong, I will be so happy.
If so, do I need to unlock or do anything or it will work right away with tmoble.
stagius24 said:
Not saying I am not trusting you. But I just read on the forum that if carrier got report for stolen, other GSM will do the same. If I am wrong, I will be so happy.
If so, do I need to unlock or do anything or it will work right away with tmoble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This forum is for the Verizon version of the phone, you might have more luck asking in forums for the GSM-carrier version: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2115
maybe the reason it isn't working is because you bought a t-mobile htc one and tried to use on at&t?
stagius24 said:
Hi,
I bought a used HTC one on craiglist only to find out that is is stolen. Att wouldnt allow me to activate it.
I am so stressful now. What other option do I have with other carrier at all? Don't tell me to use as a wifi fone please.
Here is my IMEI. I dont understand that I already check that IMEI first hand, it shows clean, but somehow I still got scam.
354439052041318
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://checkesnfree.com/
.........................
"Provider ESN Date Response Extra
Sprint 354439052041318 09.04.2013 errorCREDITED
NCIC 354439052041318 09.04.2013 cleanESN
MyStolenPhone.com 354439052041318 09.04.2013 cleanESN"
"Provider ESN Date Response Extra
Blacklist 354439052041318 09.04.2013 isBlacklisted stolen CLEAN
NCIC 354439052041318 09.04.2013 cleanESN
MyStolenPhone.com 354439052041318 09.04.2013 cleanESN"
says clean ESN.
Just go to ebay or another website and get the phone carrier/sim unlocked and you can pop in any GSM sim card and be good to go.
nrfitchett4 said:
maybe the reason it isn't working is because you bought a t-mobile htc one and tried to use on at&t?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no. he definitely bought the att version.
.kronos. said:
no. he definitely bought the att version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From "CheckESNFree.com"
Blacklist 354439052041318 09.04.2013 isBlacklisted stolen
From Swappa.com
ESN: 354439052041318 (IMEI)
IMEI Check
Blacklist This device is blacklisted.
This device has been reported stolen.
Someone got scammed.
It also could have been someone that didn't pay their bill. Phones get blacklisted when the ETF is unpaid.
Anyway, OP sorry to hear you got scammed.
Once on the list, almost impossible to get it off.
Best place to buy used phones is "Swappa.com"
Phones do NOT get blacklisted if the ETF is not paid.
The GSMA does NOT allow any company to report a device as lost or stolen because of contractual disputes, or failure to pay the ETF.
And, no matter where you buy a used phone, any AT&T and T-Mobile device can be reported lost or stolen by anyone who has activated it, after the sale and the new owner has possession.
It doesn't matter if you got it off Swappa, eBay, Craigslist, or Gazelle, if the individual who is selling it, or the individual who previously had it active on their account wants to, they can report it was stolen 30-45-60 days after selling it and in the end, you're still screwed.
Thanks.
deathtrip said:
Phones do NOT get blacklisted if the ETF is not paid.
The GSMA does NOT allow any company to report a device as lost or stolen because of contractual disputes, or failure to pay the ETF.
And, no matter where you buy a used phone, any AT&T and T-Mobile device can be reported lost or stolen by anyone who has activated it, after the sale and the new owner has possession.
It doesn't matter if you got it off Swappa, eBay, Craigslist, or Gazelle, if the individual who is selling it, or the individual who previously had it active on their account wants to, they can report it was stolen 30-45-60 days after selling it and in the end, you're still screwed.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I meant black listed on that particular carrier.
Actually, it's difficult to blacklist a phone that is active on an account.
With Swappa, there is a transaction history. They also require registration and you need some kinds of account and a shipping address.
Craigslist leaves you absolutely no protection.
eBay gives buyer protection and dispute resolution. I've gotten a blacklisted phone via eBay. Went through dispute resolution and had my cash back in a few days.
There are always ways people will try to scam and you can mitigate that by being careful.
If it's a Craigslist purchase, meet at the store and activate it in the store. Someone not willing to meet you at the tMobile, AT&T or Verizon store for activation is probably a crook. I'm just saying.
tech_head said:
Actually, I meant black listed on that particular carrier.
Actually, it's difficult to blacklist a phone that is active on an account.
With Swappa, there is a transaction history. They also require registration and you need some kinds of account and a shipping address.
Craigslist leaves you absolutely no protection.
eBay gives buyer protection and dispute resolution. I've gotten a blacklisted phone via eBay. Went through dispute resolution and had my cash back in a few days.
There are always ways people will try to scam and you can mitigate that by being careful.
If it's a Craigslist purchase, meet at the store and activate it in the store. Someone not willing to meet you at the tMobile, AT&T or Verizon store for activation is probably a crook. I'm just saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea man I hate/love Craigslist, I always have ppl offer to meet at their homes, and I'm like NO WAY, public play only, and if I am buying/selling phone I only meet at VZW s well.
it was funny the latest CL I sold sunglasses the guy asked to meet at his house, it was some 15 y/o with his parents lol.
never know what you're going to get, and he is one of the ones offered to have me come to his house. I would never give some random CL guy my address.
According to PayPal, you can file a claim regarding Craigslist purchases
Also, even with transaction history and sales documentation on sites like Swappa, the seller can still claim the device was stolen and have it blacklisted.
Now, the carrier can locally block the device from being used for a contractual or billing dispute, but that isn't blacklisted and can be used on a different carrier (not an MVNO from the blocked carrier).
deathtrip said:
According to PayPal, you can file a claim regarding Craigslist purchases
Also, even with transaction history and sales documentation on sites like Swappa, the seller can still claim the device was stolen and have it blacklisted.
Now, the carrier can locally block the device from being used for a contractual or billing dispute, but that isn't blacklisted and can be used on a different carrier (not an MVNO from the blocked carrier).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure you can file a claim for Craigslist, but you must use PayPal.
Craigslist is fine, but get a photo of the guys ID and a Bill Of Sale. But, I would go into the VZW or whatever store and activate on the spot as part of the transaction. That prevents the fraud.
The seller on Swappa, can claim theft, but you have a trail and the person's name and address and if you do it via PayPal, I always do, you get the protection.
I really feel bad for the OP.
I guess the moral of the story is, you can get ripped off anywhere and to mitigate that risk one must be very careful. Use transaction avenues that have the ability to get your money back should something go sideways.
Fortunately in the 15 or so phone transactions I've had; I've only had one issue and the seller made it right.
You must remember, when it comes to T-Mobile or AT&T devices, it doesn't matter where you are or if you activate it at the store or not.
What I'm saying is, right now, when it comes to T-Mobile or AT&T, anyone who has had the phone active on their account within a reasonable amount of time (not sure how many days prior to reporting) can report the device as lost or stolen, and as I said above, even if you meet at the wireless store to do the transaction.
That's just how screwed up the GSM market is right now.
deathtrip said:
You must remember, when it comes to T-Mobile or AT&T devices, it doesn't matter where you are or if you activate it at the store or not.
What I'm saying is, right now, when it comes to T-Mobile or AT&T, anyone who has had the phone active on their account within a reasonable amount of time (not sure how many days prior to reporting) can report the device as lost or stolen, and as I said above, even if you meet at the wireless store to do the transaction.
That's just how screwed up the GSM market is right now.
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Wow; and wow spelled backwards is still wow.
But upside down it spells MoM and mom upside down makes dad happy ; but I digress.
Haha, that's funny. Haven't heard that one before.
tech_head said:
From "CheckESNFree.com"
Blacklist 354439052041318 09.04.2013 isBlacklisted stolen
From Swappa.com
ESN: 354439052041318 (IMEI)
IMEI Check
Blacklist This device is blacklisted.
This device has been reported stolen.
Someone got scammed.
It also could have been someone that didn't pay their bill. Phones get blacklisted when the ETF is unpaid.
Anyway, OP sorry to hear you got scammed.
Once on the list, almost impossible to get it off.
Best place to buy used phones is "Swappa.com"
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ahh man never though to check Swappa, good thinking my friend!
OP, sorry to hear this bro..
Karma is real and it will come back.
Best of luck.
I upgraded to an S4 and now I'm looking to sell my S3 on eBay, I noticed a lot of phones had bad ESN/IMEI's and wondered what mine would show up as so I plugged my imei into the tmobile tool to check it and it came back with:
This device is on an account that is subject to an annual service contract term and may not be able to be unlocked from the T-Mobile network until that term is fulfilled or a fee is paid.
For more information or assistance, please call Customer Care at 1-877-453-1304.
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If I was going to sell this phone, what would I sell it as? Locked with a good ESN/IMEI? bad? I tried calling them but they gave me the run around.
Is your S4 also on contract under the same account? If so, I'd start with calling T-Mobile and asking them if they could remove the restriction from your S3. If not, then just list the S3 under T-Mobile phones on eBay and say that the IMEI and ESN are clean, but that the phone is NOT unlocked. After all, there are people who are going to buy the phone and never unlock it.
supaboom said:
I upgraded to an S4 and now I'm looking to sell my S3 on eBay, I noticed a lot of phones had bad ESN/IMEI's and wondered what mine would show up as so I plugged my imei into the tmobile tool to check it and it came back with:
If I was going to sell this phone, what would I sell it as? Locked with a good ESN/IMEI? bad? I tried calling them but they gave me the run around.
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Yes, that's the way to do it. Do note, Other people can use this phone on T-Mo just fine. Only if they want to use on other carriers then they'd need to pay to have it unlocked.
jim45 said:
Is your S4 also on contract under the same account? If so, I'd start with calling T-Mobile and asking them if they could remove the restriction from your S3. If not, then just list the S3 under T-Mobile phones on eBay and say that the IMEI and ESN are clean, but that the phone is NOT unlocked. After all, there are people who are going to buy the phone and never unlock it.
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If the S4 is on the same contract then T-Mo is likely to unlock S3 if you ask nicely.
Why not just unlock it following the thread in General? You'd open up a lot more buyers if it's already unlocked. Plus it's free and has zero side effects to begin with!
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk
No, I paid for both my S3 and S4 outright, while others on the family plan are under contract, I own my phones outright. They basically keep saying that the contract covers the entire account, but I got a nice lady who's going to look into the issue and get it straightened out so the phone shows up as it should on the IMEI database.
Doc, I just looked at the unlock thread in General and its ez-pz, as I wanted to sell it with a stock android anyways, I'll definitely do that. Thanks for suggesting, a lot easier than haggling with t mobile.
its better to go through tmobile. if you call them they will give you a code. just say you are going out of the country. did this with many phones.
giving T-Mo a call is very quick and painless. Five mins and they'll give you a code
If u can help me please pm me
I called tmobile and ask politely and said the right answers and they unblocked my imei
What were the right answers? I bought one off the craigs that stopped working a month later. Had to sell it on ebay and broke even.
pcm2a said:
What were the right answers? I bought one off the craigs that stopped working a month later. Had to sell it on ebay and broke even.
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Right answer? Perhaps giving his credit card number to pay off device outstanding amount.
sixk said:
I called tmobile and ask politely and said the right answers and they unblocked my imei
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How did that work? I bought my Note 3 on Swappa, and after it was blocked, T-Mobile basically told me to go suck a duck. They wouldn't give me any info, except to tell me what I already knew (that the phone was blocked). They wouldn't tell me how much was owed either.
But please tell us what you said. There are many people who have been scammed and would like to be able to get their device unblocked.
---------- Post added at 10:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 PM ----------
Digitalx1 said:
If u can help me please pm me
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I went through something very similar, except Swappa, not Craigslist. Is the phone just blocked for non-payment of EIP, or is it reported stolen and blacklisted? That might affect your options.
You have a couple of choices, none of which are ideal.
1. Sell the phone on Ebay for a loss. If you sell it internationally, you might be better off since non-US buyers wouldn't care about it being blocked on T-Mobile.
2. Do what I did. Unlock the device (use Chainfire or something similar) and go to another carrier. I ended up going to Straight Talk (AT&T). All in all, it cost me about $10 to unlock and buy the SIM card. I lost my favorite T-Mobile plan, and now pay more for less data (I cry silently each night), but at least your phone will be usable again.
Hope that helps.
Sorry if I am a noob about this but can someone share some light what is happening exactly? I don't want to fall in this category.
People sell their phones to the customer (via Craigslist or Swappa) and the seller does not pay it off which causes T-Mobile to blacklist them?
Try use region unlock that might help you
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Pedro2NR said:
Sorry if I am a noob about this but can someone share some light what is happening exactly? I don't want to fall in this category.
People sell their phones to the customer (via Craigslist or Swappa) and the seller does not pay it off which causes T-Mobile to blacklist them?
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I think there has been at least one instance in which the phone seemed to have been reported as lost or stolen via insurance. That's based on a phone which was supposedly not on EIP being blacklisted by Tmo. Can't find the thread right now, so that's based entirely on vague recollection.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Pedro2NR said:
Sorry if I am a noob about this but can someone share some light what is happening exactly? I don't want to fall in this category.
People sell their phones to the customer (via Craigslist or Swappa) and the seller does not pay it off which causes T-Mobile to blacklist them?
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Pretty much. Most likely these people are getting their T-mo service cut off for non-payment and since the phone still has a balance, the IMEI gets blacklisted. Shady seller sells it anyway. Poor buyer gets home, finds out its blocked, and has very little recourse especially if it was a CL deal. People also frequently steal phones and try to sell them as well. I work as a phone tester for a popular "sell us your phone!" service that has commercials all over TV right now, and I see TONS of stolen phones. I open the package, turn it on, see the "you have entered the wrong pin too many times, phone locked" screen, and then the ESN/IMEI comes up blacklisted.
Bottom line- people are terrible and will think nothing of scamming you if they can make a quick buck. Trust no one. I won't buy high-end electronics anywhere but a brick & mortar store or a reputable online dealer who guarantees their products. Saving a couple hundred bucks is not worth the risk of getting scammed.
T-mobile has the best customer-service I've ever talked to. On the phone that is
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Right answer = lies
Im not sure if its the right place to say this.
My N3 was paid off
what I told them was I bought this phone off my girlfriend who wanted to stick with an iphone.
And while she changed back to her iphone there must have been a mistake which blocked the phone.
and after about an hour they said they would review this and call me back... but never got a call back.
So I called back a week later and talked to another person and asked about my phone's status and she told it was not blocked anymore.
Hope that helps.
sixk said:
Right answer = lies
Im not sure if its the right place to say this.
My N3 was paid off
what I told them was I bought this phone off my girlfriend who wanted to stick with an iphone.
And while she changed back to her iphone there must have been a mistake which blocked the phone.
and after about an hour they said they would review this and call me back... but never got a call back.
So I called back a week later and talked to another person and asked about my phone's status and she told it was not blocked anymore.
Hope that helps.
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Sounds so easy. I am assuming you bought the N3 used from a woman at least?
Was actually a guy.
everything was good and was easy to contact but after i bought it he turned off the phone and never heard from him again.
And yea it was craigslist I bought it from.
sixk said:
Was actually a guy.
everything was good and was easy to contact but after i bought it he turned off the phone and never heard from him again.
And yea it was craigslist I bought it from.
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So you basically called T Mobile up and explained you bought this from your girlfriend and get angry and after splitting up black listed the phone or to that effect?
I had an issue like this with my note 3, i purchased it back around October 15 off swappa, then 2 months and about 3 days later my phone stopped working, i looked up the imei and it said it was stolen, conveniently just 3 days too late to file a claim with paypal, I called up tmobile, told them I purchased the phone used, and the date i had started using the phone on their service and said it was now saying it was stolen more than 2 months after this and the person told me they were going to unblock the phone for me, and it would take about 24 hours, it actually took closer to 48 hours but they did unblock it and I've had no problems since.
this is why you do trades at a t-mobile store to verify that it works.
guaneet said:
this is why you do trades at a t-mobile store to verify that it works.
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That only helps if you are SURE to ask the rep to verify nothing is owed........a simple imei scan just states that at the moment it's not flagged. ....had this happen. ..met seller at tmobile. ..rep scanned said it was good to go....literally as I started to hand the money to the dude he mentioned that he owed $500 but had arranged to make payments and that no way he would let his credit get messed up because of it.....I said..."can't do it" and ended up just getting a brand new one from tmobile the next day......glad to not have to deal with the nightmare....
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louforgiveno said:
That only helps if you are SURE to ask the rep to verify nothing is owed........a simple imei scan just states that at the moment it's not flagged. ....had this happen. ..met seller at tmobile. ..rep scanned said it was good to go....literally as I started to hand the money to the dude he mentioned that he owed $500 but had arranged to make payments and that no way he would let his credit get messed up because of it.....I said..."can't do it" and ended up just getting a brand new one from tmobile the next day......glad to not have to deal with the nightmare....
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Oh yeah and the rep had to look up more info to see that money was owed......the guy had left tmobile but his billing hadn't cycled yet so to anyone checking it all seemed legit....be careful guys....even to this day I see Craigslist postings and when you ask if they will meet at store to confirm no money owed...no response. ....use that as a litmus test if you must dabble
you can ask the t mob rep to check it. they arent restricted at doing that with the owner there, you just have to be polite and get the right person.
guaneet said:
you can ask the t mob rep to check it. they arent restricted at doing that with the owner there, you just have to be polite and get the right person.
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What I'm trying to point out is that generally the question is whether the imei is clean.....the "Yes" answer is not a guarantee at all....it may take tmobile 30 days to realize non - payment before it gets flagged....just make sure to also ask whether all handset fees have been payed off as well as imei status.
well basically this is what happens in craigslist, and very rarely on ebay,....
Someone sells there phone, then they report is lost or stolen, then they probably receive another at a cost of $150 pr $175 for a replacement phone.
If you buy this on ebay, call ebay up a tell them to look at the seller of this phone, they will see that it was sold by the seller claiming this imei is in good standards, they should reimburse you... or paypal....
in craigslist you can make sure you print out the add, keep it in a safe place, so when they sell you the phone and you get scammed, try going to the police and let them know you purchased this, they can probably trace everything back to the seller, and probably arrest them, if they claim a good imei and then they have reported it stolen. to receive another phone from the insurance company.
because when someone reports it stolen and does an insurance job, they have to usually get a police report number, then they have to give Assurance or Assurant (insurance company for the cell phones) the police report number then the insurance company... now if they falsified information to the police they can get in trouble. this will really work for the people that sell there phone to do an insurance job. they sell their phone, call the insurance company and get another one.