I apologize if i found the wrong forum to ask this in, if so please forgive and excuse me.
So for the "TL/DR" version, the question i have is...
From what i understand the SM-G965U Samsung Verizon S9+ that i have, which i today flashed to G965u1 global variant was already, by default sold from verizon as Unlocked. A IMEI check on various MVNO's ting.com, straighttalk, Walmart Fam Mobile, as well as a few IMEI checker sites have show this IMEI for this phone thats still under payments as clear and ready to activate with their sim. Also after successfully flashing the global bloat free variant to the phone, i was able to make a successful test call and confirm mobile data worked great with a borrowed Walmart Family Mobile Sim in it.
If i bounce out of this relashonsip, and take my phone as it is, still under her plan, and just go get a Sim Kit with the Unlimited plan from (Probably AT&T) will verizon or can verizon, or her block the phone once the sim from another carrier is working in it? Either by financle lock or her reporting it lost or anything like that? Or am I in the clear?
This isnt going to base my decison to leave this situation or not, (im going to peroid my childs welbeing is most important of all, my tolance for anger, abuse and BS comes a much later 2nd or 3rd) I just want to make plans as to what i should do about my phone, i want to keep it, im not going to fall into her games, and im going to change the number and would like to just pop the sim and be done with it, but i want to know if they can do anything if its reported lost, or she just stops paying her bill and they shut the account down due to non payment.
And for the details, and the morally inclined the situation is..
I have a week and a half new S9+ activated on an account from Verizon. The situation with myself and the account holder (Ex-Gf, or soon to be) has turned very sour so much that Im at a empass where I feel myself and my daughter are in a unhealthy enviroment and Im legitamatly concerned for her mental health, and the enviroment being to agressive, controlling and abusive. So basicly im leavin her. Im a single dad and this is my kid, not her so no im not running off with "our" child, unfortuatley the biological mother doesnt care to be in her life. But enough about the moral dilemma, emplications and personal life. This person is very unhealthy and we need to leave.
I became a authorized user on her account, allowed to make any decisons/purchases ect and she was with me when we bought it. Or rather signed up the payment agreement, with 0 down and just paid taxes and turned her plan and mine into a family with Go unlimited. With my S9+ having 24 payments of like $36 a month with the insurance ect. Phone case and screen protector added to the next bill, bill date the 27th.
Night before i handed her $400 in cash to add to the bill to get this about half paid off, only to find out she choose to blow it on something else, and giving her friend $150 because he was down on his luck.
The enviroment and some things she has said, has frightened me to the point where i belive she may try to either falsely accuse me of something to hold me hostage in the relashonship as she wont seek counsiling, or just continue to scream and agrue and yell either in front of or directly at my child, and after many attempts to try to get some 3rd party help counsilling ect ive decided its not going to work, and shes not going to try. She addtionaly has around $2k of my silver bars locked in her safe deposit box she wont allow access to for reasons I spend to much on things i dont need which isnt true. I think she is just trying to limit my resources to leave and or make me more dependant on her.
Which isnt going to work.
Thank you, and I apologize for the personal details of the post, and the lenght.
Thanks again.
She will likely report the phone stolen. It will be blacklisted at that point for all American carriers, but would still work internationally.
You should just be able to return it if you've had it a week and a half. It's network locked and won't work with another carrier's SIM unless you pay it off and get the code from Verizon or use one of the pay services you can find around the net.
No, it's not network locked. As I said I just tested it with a At&t sim and worked fine. It seems all Verizon phones are now unlock from the network as per an agreement with the FCC during the purchase of the 700 megahertz Spectrum that they would allow their phones to be unlocked what's your now done at the point of sale and activation. When I'm wondering is as if after I've Place another Sim in it and have continued use if she decides to be the way that she is and report it stolen or lost or whatever which I'm guessing is it can't be reported stolen unless there's a police report lost Maybe. If the new carrier it's working on will the activate or block it. I've already given her money to make up for the cost of the device whether or not she can apply it to the bill is up to her or if she even can but I'm not getting that money back so it's in my best interest to keep the device and keep it working on a different network via prepaid.
Bottom line, if you're using a device that isn't yours (and honestly, it really isn't), it's not safe. It seems unlikely that she will just continue to make payments on a device used by someone that just left her life. Maybe she's honest and will do the right thing, since you paid her money. But you'll never really know. You could wake up one day with no service and have very little you can do about it.
The better thing to do, rather than handing her $400, would have been to walk out of the relationship, leaving the phone in the home. Go take the $400 and buy a midrange device of your own.
Given she already took your money and blew it on something other than the bill you intended it for, you're pretty much screwed. She could easily blacklist the phone and there wouldn't really be any recourse for you (not even small claims court, as I'm guessing it was a verbal "agreement" when you gave her the $400 to put towards the bill. It would literally be your word against hers, and that wouldn't go far.)
Not saying you would have considered that route, but just putting it out there it wouldn't work
Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk
T-Mobile employee here. If she decides to report it lost or stolen (if she still has the insurance on it she can pay the deductible and receive another of the same model) your IMEI will be put on a national blacklist. Doesn't matter which carrier you use or the firmware you flash on the device, the IMEI will be the same and will not register with any network in the US if she uses her insurance or just reports it but doesn't claim it. Once the IMEI is on this list it's nearly impossible to get it unblocked. Your best option is to try and return it and get your money back from your ex. You could try to sell it to someone overseas but that comes with it's own risks.
Thread closed by OP request!
Related
I purchased a phone from craigslist didn't know that t mobile had a imei system and didn't have t mobile service at the time bought the phone with case phone looked brand new etc i activate phones not working turns out bad imei.
The good news is that i have the text from seller and a tmobile rep told me that he is a tmobile customer i asked if he could check if the phone was purchased on the account to check if it matched up and he told me he couldn't give me anymore information anyone know how i should go about this situation with the police?
Nothing you can do except using the phone as an ipod.
Sent From My Htc Amaze running rum+coke
Probably not much u can do especially if he included the words "as is" anywhere in the post, but if he didn't you can probably go to your local police station and file a police report and take the guy to small claims court......I think anyway.......you might want to ask Binary he's a cop he would know better then me.
will_69_67 said:
Probably not much u can do especially if he included the words "as is" anywhere in the post, but if he didn't you can probably go to your local police station and file a police report and take the guy to small claims court......I think anyway.......you might want to ask Binary he's a cop he would know better then me.
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Well he can report it to his local police station but there's not much they can do. This is actually more of a civil action unless you can provide reasonable doubt that the seller is selling stolen merchandise. And if the post says "AS-IS" or anything similiar then you're SOL. You can try to contact Craigslist and report the seller for selling stolen merchandise. They might cooperate with you to take the seller to civil court.
That's about the best that you can do.
Good luck!
That's what you get for buying on craigslist. If it was ebay at least you would have been protected.
Binary100100 said:
Well he can report it to his local police station but there's not much they can do. This is actually more of a civil action unless you can provide reasonable doubt that the seller is selling stolen merchandise. And if the post says "AS-IS" or anything similiar then you're SOL. You can try to contact Craigslist and report the seller for selling stolen merchandise. They might cooperate with you to take the seller to civil court.
That's about the best that you can do.
Good luck!
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Thanks everyone who helped, Binary i know that normally with craigslist stuff if you get scammed its pretty much on you. But the guy told me he got the phone off a upgrade and decided to stick with his old phone therefore he is lying. I also know that the number he was using to do the business with is linked to t mobile which leaves his information for the police vulnerable. Luckily my mom works at a high school and i have access to a police officer. Since you're a police officer i was wondering if i had information showing that the phone he sold me is directly linked to his account and shows that he said the phone was stolen/lost i can report him to asurion insurance and get him in trouble for insurance fraud at least. The one thing i was wondering is if he would say i stole the phone from him but i have the box with unopened accessories and text showing we were meeting up etc.
rasstar said:
That's what you get for buying on craigslist. If it was ebay at least you would have been protected.
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I don't see how this is helping can keep the negative comments to yourself lol
lajuan3 said:
Thanks everyone who helped, Binary i know that normally with craigslist stuff if you get scammed its pretty much on you. But the guy told me he got the phone off a upgrade and decided to stick with his old phone therefore he is lying. I also know that the number he was using to do the business with is linked to t mobile which leaves his information for the police vulnerable. Luckily my mom works at a high school and i have access to a police officer. Since you're a police officer i was wondering if i had information showing that the phone he sold me is directly linked to his account and shows that he said the phone was stolen/lost i can report him to asurion insurance and get him in trouble for insurance fraud at least. The one thing i was wondering is if he would say i stole the phone from him but i have the box with unopened accessories and text showing we were meeting up etc.
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I'm actually thinking that did the insurance fraud thing. He likely called Asurian to tell them that he lost the phone and would like a replacement. Asurian then puts the IMEI on a black list so it can't be activated again since it was reported "Lost/Stolen" and shipped him another. He then sold it to you. Now without a Bill Of Sale it's all on you. If you have the text message then you have his number. Contact the seller directly and inform him. Best case scenario he did not actually with full intent attempt to sell you a stolen phone. He may be able to call Asurian and say that he had found the device and they might then be able to remove it from the black list. However they will probably want the replacement back. The most that you can really do is threaten him to call the police... but this is really a civil matter. Just because you have the box and phone number doesn't mean anything. Here's an example. If you were a criminal and robbed someone's house, took their tv, computer, jewelry, phone, box for phone, etc you can also take their identity since almost everyone has bills laying around. At least mail. So they can have your name, phone number, address, IMEI, original packaging... whole nine yards. Does that still prove that you know eachother? Can he still use that to prove that the sale was legit? No way. This is a civil matter and not so much criminal so you're not going to get much assistance from the police.
My advice, contact the seller and tell him that you need ALL of his information. Name, address, contact information for his account, etc and tell him that you have to use it to get his information removed from the black list. Try to get his DL number too. Tell him that the insurance company requires a copy of it to remove it from the list. Make up something clever like that. Then use that information to file for court. It's up to you if you want to try to settle it in court or not but it's your best bet. PD has a lot more to worry about than Craigslist scams and unless the insurance company or TMobile wants to provide informatino willingly to a law enforcement official. They may or may not because they are under no legal obligation to comply unless it's ordered by the court. But again... that's really up to you.
One other option is to consult with your local prosecutor's office. Laws and procedures vary state by state, and between jurisdictions, but in Florida a lot of jurisdictions will operate some type of citizens dispute mediation program using volunteer mediators.
The idea is that by bringing both parties to the State Attorney's Office they will reach an agreement, or the more guilty party will make things right, and actually follow through on it because they believe it has a little more authority attached to whatever resolution is decided upon when in reality it may be an incident that is more civil in nature and could never be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in criminal court.
we are talking about a $350 phone. just the court claim costs $200(at least here in IL).and there is no way you can get that guys information. the fact that he was able to sell you a bad imei phone means he is a pro, cuz not everybody can do that, you gotta have done it before. I am just curious how did you buy the phone without even trying to put a sim card on it..
What Binary said makes a lot sense otherwise not sure what else "Bad IMEI" could be implying.
If this is true, and t-mobile blacklist the phone for activation, may be you can try unlock and see if it works under other carrier such as AT&T? If works, you can try switch carrier or sell to AT&T users.
contact a subrogation service. They will scare the crap out of the guy and will get your money back...I got about 8 years ago on ebay when it wasn't so safe, someone sold me a laptop but it was just a poster of a laptop. Problem was in the description it never said laptop, it said item and it was basically a poster of laptop with its specs. so what I got was a laminated poster of a laptop for 1100 dollars. Subrogation services is a good thing. look into it.
Felinos11 said:
we are talking about a $350 phone. just the court claim costs $200(at least here in IL).and there is no way you can get that guys information. the fact that he was able to sell you a bad imei phone means he is a pro, cuz not everybody can do that, you gotta have done it before. I am just curious how did you buy the phone without even trying to put a sim card on it..
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Well i was switching from sprint to tmobile back in the day you could pop a sim in and thebphone would just work even if lost or stolen i guess things changed and i got hustled im not to worried im sure i can get it unlocked and make atleast the 330 i spent back its just that i signed a 2yr contract got scammed and want him to face some sort of consequence
lajuan3 said:
Well i was switching from sprint to tmobile back in the day you could pop a sim in and thebphone would just work even if lost or stolen i guess things changed and i got hustled im not to worried im sure i can get it unlocked and make atleast the 330 i spent back its just that i signed a 2yr contract got scammed and want him to face some sort of consequence
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U can never unlock an imei blacklisted phone.
tmobile block the imei number of the phone, when the phone ever was reported stolen lost or the guy asked for an exchange and never return it, there is no way to unlock the imei number so you are screw,
i say get together with some friends find this guy a kick his ass!!
when did you sign your contact.... If you just activated you might be under buyers remorse
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk
I was informed i could unlock and use on other networks just not tmobile with a bad imei? i was planning on selling on ebay including the info that it has to be unlocked and switched to anyone besides tmobile.
I signed the contract because i have a 14day period where i can cancel without a fee i figured i would find a way to change the imei if worse came to worse.
Last i was told by a t mobile rep that they were changing my imei and it will take around 2hours.
I thought it was as simple as putting in your sim card? I guess tmobile is getting with the times.
If the guy never used the phone asurion would never do a claim for him! They have to see the imei active for them to file a claim!
And it is possible to unblock a imei asurion can do it.
Sent from my HTC Amaze 4G using Tapatalk
Asurion told me it was up to T-Mobile T-Mobile said no I call again
they say they are changing it for me it will take 2hours been 2hours still no service
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using XDA App
So my dad bought an HTC One off of Craigslist brand new a few months ago. Today, it randomly stopped recog izing the Sim. It turns out that the original owners decided to call in the device as stolen and got theirs replaced from their insurance. He called T-Mobile and they said that there's nothing they can do about this.
Is there any way to make the phone usable again? Changing the IMEI, flashing a custom ROM, or whatever. Everything works, except the SIM is not recognized.
Thanks for your help.
Your SOL. You won't get imei changing help on XDA. Advise I seen given in this situation, is to sell it overseas as it useless in AT&T too.
HTC One
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
jawmail said:
You're screwed, unlock it if you can. Hopefully it was fully paid for so you can do that, then like the other guy said sell it on Ebay to someone overseas. Be honest and say it's blocked. It will still sell. The thieves have a good racket going, and the carriers refuse to stop it by adding kill switches.
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What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
monkeypaws said:
What would adding kill switches do. ? You take your chances with buying from Cl just this last month I had two htc ones and a iPhone 5. Switched back to a used HTC one and have had no issues. I've met every one of those people at the store. The thing is the system will only grant someone a warranty or insurance claim on a device used last. If enough time passes or the other person registers a new phone the insurance/ warranty system will register a new device. Any claims on the only one will be invalid. I believe scammers are waiting just long enough before that or not registering new devices to their account so they can still claim the device as lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Kill switches would prevent the phone from being used domestically and possibly internationally. Similar to how Verizon does it by locking the phone IMEI or MEID whatever they call it on Verizon phones. If you buy one that's locked it "lost or stolen" and doesn't work on their network.
Read this, explains what might be done if the carriers agree. Right now they make too much money from insurance to care. Don't know if I can post links but Google 'cell phone kill switch'. http://www.today.com/money/push-get-kill-switch-smartphones-2D11897060
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
IAmSixNine said:
I ran into this a while back with a GS3 on TMO.
Heres what usually happens. Scammer has insurance on his phone. Sells it to you. Then waits up to 30 days to file a claim. Lost / Stolen.
Once a claim has been filed they have an additional 180 days to pay the deductible and finalize the claim. Once that happens the IMEI gets entered into the system and bam you have a WiFi only device.
I went to the TMO store by my office and spoke with a manager.. The system is flawed in favor of the insurance companies and carriers.
I can prove that unit was active and in use on my account for 3 months before it got shut off. Yet TMO refuses to do anything.
I emailed Assurion twice to let them know the user who filed the IMEI as lost/stolen was performing insurance fraud and it fell on deaf ears.
Why? Because they keep selling the monthly subscription to the scammers and honest users plus they collect the deductible.
Carriers wont do anything because most of the time it forces the user who got scammed to buy buy a new phone.. Rarely will they change carriers. So TMO still gets paid.
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Yes that is very typical. It's so sad they do not stop the theft and the fraud. It will happen it's only a matter of time.
Nothing you can do. Sorry but that's just how it is. I refuse to buy any phone that's not from the company I'm with. That being tmobile. That way I have a record of buying my phone and they can't block it
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Sucks man.
I'd say to check your imei against the stolen registries, but that wouldn't have done you any good.
Sent from my LG-V510 using xda app-developers app
If you have even a phone number or any contact information from when your dad bought the phone, you should report the seller to the FBI or your local US Attorney's Office and perhaps even attempt to file a lawsuit for fraud. I'm shocked that people are willing to commit federal crimes for $300.
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
jqwest said:
Actually you are all wrong, Any locked/blocked/stolen/blacklisted tmobile phone be unlocked for att, Tmobile only blacklisted on there own network, I am currently using a blocked htc one that checkesnfree.com says it blocked by tmobile and it says no service when I put in my tmobile sim card, I bought an unlock code form ebay for $4 and am currently using the tmobile htc one on H2o wireless (atat) towers
works perfect
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Actually, you're mistaken.
A "blocked" device on T-Mobile is still usable on AT&T. A "blocked" device is not a blacklisted device, and therefor is eligible for use on another carrier (not MVNO of the blocked carrier).
A device can only be blacklisted if it has been reported as lost or stolen. If the device is just blocked on T-Mobile, then it wasn't reported as lost or stolen.
I buy used phones as a business and if a tmobile phone is blacklisted/lost/stolen/blocked for non payment. they only blackliston tmobile cell towers. This is fact any bad tmobile phone after unlocked can be used on atat regardless of imei status with tmobile, Im currently using a tmobile htc one that is blacklisted/blocked by tmobile, Im using it on atat
OK, so here's the deal, guys. I recently ran into some financial issues, which may mean a total loss of income for an undetermined period of time. I've been calling companies I owe money, offering to settle old debts like college loans, so I can get my credit straightened out.
I bought an LG v10 less than 6 months ago. I went into a local T-Mobile store yesterday to pay off last month's balance, but more importantly, my device balance. So now my account balance is zero for everything. The account is still active but won't be as of next month. I'm trying to get my SIM permanently unlocked so I can switch to another carrier like MetroPCS or Straight Talk (prepaid). I am aware that carriers can blacklist the ESNs of devices that are past due/delinquent, so that is part of my motivation. I just wanted to own my device free and clear.
The rep told me in the store that I can use the Device Unlock app on the stock ROM (he noticed that I had CM13 installed, LOL) to request a permanent unlock. So I flashed back to stock, relocked bootloader, and tried the app. But it's not working. He did say that I would possibly need to wait 24 hours, and I have. I was also told not to cancel the account before unlocking, or else I can't get an unlock, paid or not. I really prefer not to pay another month's bill, I also don't want to pay some shady unlock website. I read the terms for unlocking, since I'm paid then I should be eligible.
Now, this is where the situation gets a little hairy, so read carefully. When I bought the phone I put it in a now ex-friend's name, because he has good credit and mine is crap. The price they quoted him was less than half of what they quoted me. So the account is under his name, he had to use his ID, but I paid for everything with *MY* money. But the phone is in my physical possession, I'm the one paying the bills. To make long story short, I caught him trying to steal from me, so I ended the friendship. He's made himself scarce, so up until yesterday getting hold of him to convince him to come into the store with me was difficult. But now I have to find him again so we can make a final call to settle the unlock, then I'll just let the account get cancelled when I don't pay next month. They won't let me do anything over the phone except make payments, since I don't know his Social Security #.
Once I get the SIM unlocked and the account is cancelled there will be no fear with blacklisting, I should be able to freely switch to another prepaid carrier later. However, if I decide I want to take advantage of T-Mobile's "bring your own device" policy later, will they let me rejoin as a prepaid customer? No potential issues?
I'm just looking for a little advice on what to do next.
Thanks!
Did you figure this out? What error message was the unlock app giving you?
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
@YrrchSebor: No, still not solved. The device unlock app just tells me I'm not eligible. I'm sure I can get a temp unlock but I'd rather have a permanent unlock. I even got hold of my ex-friend and forced him to call T-Mo, they just put you on hold forever and jerk you around from rep to rep. I had the entire conversation recorded, every rep says I'm not eligible. This is a bunch of BS if you ask me, I've read the conditions for an unlock, I meet all the requirements, we explained this to the reps blow by blow, but they just say the same thing. They also refuse to say why I'm not eligible. I've called back dozens of times for the past week, same answers. I've been a customer for over 5 years, owned a handful of devices with T-Mo, you would think they would have no issues giving an unlock if the device is paid and no other balance is due. I also explained the financial hardship situation to them. They're being such pricks about this, that when I finally get an unlock, I may never be a customer again. My best advice is, just keep calling and hound the **** out of them. Be polite, demand explanations, ask to talk to a supervisor/manager if possible.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: No, still not solved. The device unlock app just tells me I'm not eligible. I'm sure I can get a temp unlock but I'd rather have a permanent unlock. I even got hold of my ex-friend and forced him to call T-Mo, they just put you on hold forever and jerk you around from rep to rep. I had the entire conversation recorded, every rep says I'm not eligible. This is a bunch of BS if you ask me, I've read the conditions for an unlock, I meet all the requirements, we explained this to the reps blow by blow, but they just say the same thing. They also refuse to say why I'm not eligible. I've called back dozens of times for the past week, same answers. I've been a customer for over 5 years, owned a handful of devices with T-Mo, you would think they would have no issues giving an unlock if the device is paid and no other balance is due. I also explained the financial hardship situation to them. They're being such pricks about this, that when I finally get an unlock, I may never be a customer again. My best advice is, just keep calling and hound the **** out of them. Be polite, demand explanations, ask to talk to a supervisor/manager if possible.
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Damn, that sucks!! Have ANY of the reps given you a reason for your ineligibility? They definitely owe you that I'd say, and if they can't give it then something's wrong.
It sounds like your device's IMEI should be in their database, but if for some reason it isn't, there is another unlock thread where an XDA member, markbencze(not positive on the spelling), gives the direct telephone line to a rep who seems to be sympathetic and seems to be able to add devices to the database that aren't in there. Just letting you know that in case you didn't know and possibly she could help you..
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
@YrrchSebor: No, I've never been given a reason. My device's IMEI should be in their database, I bought and activated the phone in a T-Mo store. My ex-friend gave me the last 4 digits of his Social Security Number, so I can call in posing as him without his presence. I had to force cooperation but he did give in. I'm going to be extremely pissed if I cant get an unlock or the phone gets blacklisted, I have very limited income right now and have spent alot of money on this. My gameplan is to get the unlock as soon as possible, then cancel the account so I dont have to pay next month. I have a cheap AT&T prepaid SIM card to test with, to see if the unlock is for real.
If you can possibly post a link to the aforementioned thread here it would be very much appreciated.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: No, I've never been given a reason. My device's IMEI should be in their database, I bought and activated the phone in a T-Mo store. My ex-friend gave me the last 4 digits of his Social Security Number, so I can call in posing as him without his presence. I had to force cooperation but he did give in. I'm going to be extremely pissed if I cant get an unlock or the phone gets blacklisted, I have very limited income right now and have spent alot of money on this. My gameplan is to get the unlock as soon as possible, then cancel the account so I dont have to pay next month. I have a cheap AT&T prepaid SIM card to test with, to see if the unlock is for real.
If you can possibly post a link to the aforementioned thread here it would be very much appreciated.
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I see talk of it in this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3241032. Maybe start at the end and work back..
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Thanks for the info, I just checked my IMEI with a link I found in the other unlock thread, it's not blacklisted and is also in T-Mo's database. So there must be some other reason. I'll try giving that lady a call.
@YrrchSebor: I just got my unlock about half an hour ago. I didn't call that lady, I just kept calling and asking to speak to supervisors until my request was elevated. Finally, they asked for email and said to wait 3 days. I dont know exactly what happened, but I think they added my IMEI to unlock database. I got the email, ran Unlock app again, worked first time around.
AnonVendetta said:
@YrrchSebor: I just got my unlock about half an hour ago. I didn't call that lady, I just kept calling and asking to speak to supervisors until my request was elevated. Finally, they asked for email and said to wait 3 days. I dont know exactly what happened, but I think they added my IMEI to unlock database. I got the email, ran Unlock app again, worked first time around.
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Glad you finally got it [emoji106]
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA-Developers mobile app
Hey all,
I did some searching so it makes me suspect this isn't possible yet, but does anyone have a method to change the IMEI or MEID of the LG V30+ (Sprint, if that matters)? I need to change it and not just mask it.
The short story is I bought on on eBay but it was already tied to someone's account. The seller won't give me that person's contact info, Sprint won't tell me if there's a finance balance on it and if I can pay it off, and Sprint won't give me that person's contact info either. eBay declined my request for a refund, so now I'm just trying to see if I can make this thing usable at all.
Thanks!
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
t1mman said:
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
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I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2249666&p=40723213
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
nizmoboy98 said:
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
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When I put the IMEI into swappa's IMEI checker it says "Financial Eligibility - Device is not eligible for resale (financed)." When I talk to Sprint (Which I've done over a few calls and trips to the store) they tell me it can't be put on my account because it's still attached to another account, but they don't tell me why at all. They've never told me if I could just take over payments for the phone, which is interesting since I've asked specifically about that. I wonder if something else is blocking this IMEI? So far I haven't been able to reach anyone at Sprint that can tell me anything about the phone's previous owner or any financial obligations on the phone.
Do you happen to know of a different IMEI checker I should try that might give me more information?
Imei checker by cavallo enterprise
I tried that on my insuranced replacement lg v30 and it gave me unpaid balance on mines
cjshrader said:
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself.
So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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I'm sorry you are out the money....
But the flaw in your logic is that 2017 $800-$900 LG V30 phone still belongs to Sprint, until paid off. The person who "sold" it to you had no right to sell property they do not own (unless they used the money to pay off the balance). So, technically, they are stealing it. The only reason it's not been "reported" stolen is Sprint is probably taking care of this in civil proceedings as opposed to criminal proceedings? They are probably getting a judgement against the person. In which case, Sprint doesn't want to deal with you because that just complicates the case.
IF the person you bought it from had used that money to immediately pay of the balance, then everything would be OK. But they probably sold for lot less than owed to Sprint. (Sprint wants customers with recurring monthly payments, they don't want to be Best Buy. The financial price of the contract is probably a LOT more than the hardware cost of the phone.)
This phone was released in October. The user probably didn't make any payments, to be honest. So you would be out not only what you paid them, but probably the full amount they owe Sprint for up to two years?
Sprint also had deals where you would get a phone, get free first year service, but then be obligated to pay for 2nd year of service. People signed a legal contract. To get out of the contract they had to pay the value of what was still left. The amount owed on this phone might not be just the cost of the phone, but a year or two of Sprint service charges. I haven't seen the contract, I really couldn't care less about Sprint --- I've helped many friends escape Sprint -- I'm just speculating why Sprint isn't being helpful with you. It seems it's more than just the phone?
One Sprint deal was to LEASE TWO PHONES. LEASE one phone, get one for free:
http://newsroom.sprint.com/lg-v30-a...e-get-one-on-us-just-38-per-month-for-two.htm
In which case, they weren't even buying the phone from Sprint over two years, they were renting it.
I see this a lot with new Sprint phones sold on Craigslist and eBay -- lots of drama for some reason. Earlier this year was lots of posts for help in unlocking Sprint Galaxy S8/S8+. It's not that those model phones cannot be unlocked, it's that money was owed on them still. People were getting new Sprint phones for "free", then turning around and selling them on eBay, Craigslist. But they weren't free. They had signed a contract, and until the terms were fulfilled it was still Sprint's phones. So, it was really a scam.
In many countries, changing IMEI numbers is like changing VIN on a car. It's against the law, because either the car is stolen or some other bad intent is happening.
Sent from my carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
cjshrader said:
I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_cloning#Effectiveness_and_legislation
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
Contact your seller, explain the situation, and if the description didn't state the IMEI issue, or didn't state the item was AS-IS, contact paypal/ebay and open a dispute.
If it was stated, well, you knew what you where getting into!
Good luck!
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
Sent from my LG-H931 using XDA Labs
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
Mr CATFISH said:
Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
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I appreciate that, and even though I'm paying extra for one I'm definitely thinking it's going to be the next phone I get. I've been on a Note 4 for a long time and it's on its last legs.
adsubzero said:
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
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The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
Josh McGrath said:
If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
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The purchase was through Paypal, and since eBay and Paypal are generally in lock step together. That being said, I should still take a shot, it wouldn't hurt. This is effectively a bad IMEI phone, and the seller said the problem with it was it was "activated on someone else's account." Those two things don't mean the same to me.
cjshrader said:
The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
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He's saying there are other providers who don't care that it's a blacklisted phone. That IF you get the phone carrier unlocked through an unlock code perhaps you can then use it with another service provider.
My understanding is there's a U.S. carrier blacklist covering all four major carriers. Whether there are loopholes, I don't know. Like maybe since is not actually been reported lost/stolen?
But there's also tons of U.S. MVNOs who may or may not suscribe to that list. Those MVNOs use the major carriers, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, but provide their own SIM cards.
I'm just explaining what the other person meant. What you do is your own decision.
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
Try and search ebay for the this seller and message the seller any questions you have. Ask seller if you will get refund if it does not work . im guessing sites that provide this service knows someone that works at sprint and maybe pays them under the table to change status of imei
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
cjshrader said:
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
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You sent the seller back a bad phone?
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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Well, with the refund it's now eBay seller's property (again)...
He can sell it to someone outside the U.S. and it will work.
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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This is a year old thread ?
Ok, so I have been a Metro cistomer for over a year and while they are the cheapest here you surely get what you pay for. The support is aweful. Well twi weeks ago I cracked my screen and called their insurance and got a replacement. Welm yoday I call Metro and they refused to unlock it. i asked to soeak with manager after manager and eCh one told me they could not unlock it because it is a new phone and has to be on the network for 180 days i was like Boyght this phone over a year ago, this is a replace through insurance. How dies that reset my 180 days. I am so angry right now and Metro is no help How are they able yo keep me network restricted after being with them for that long. To use an insurance replacement to lock me in for another 189 days. Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
VEC
Unlocking is a per device basis, it seems.
Every time you get a new device from them, that device has to be on their network for a specific amount of time before they allow you to take it over to a new carrier if you wanted to.
This insures that you have to use their service, and therefore pay them, for at least another 6 months. It prevents people from getting good phones for cheap or maybe free then jumping ship to a different carrier before they can at least recoup whatever they lost on the phone. Same way with contract carriers you can get phones at a major discount if you agree to be locked into a long term contract. (Eg. my first smartphone retailed for $600 back in 2011, but the family member that paid my bill at the time only spent $200 after rebate by agreeing to have my line on a 2 year contract)
By allowing a replacement phone to be unlocked right off bat that means someone considering switching carriers can intentionally break their device, get it replaced on insurance, then jump to a different carrier with a brand new device and leave the old carrier eating the cost of the replacement.
They are probably within their right to do so, as it probably is in the fine print of their Unlocking Policy, or written in hard to understand yet still valid legalese.
It's kind of sucky, but it's understandable why when so many people are looking for ways to get one over and exploit loopholes and stuff.
There is another N10 thread here where someone did this to have their phone unlocked BEFORE the 180 days........ file an FCC complaint online that they are being unfair with their unlock policy. In your case OP, it even makes more sense to do this. Once you file the complaint stating your problem, the FCC contacts Metro, and Metro contacts you. Then you tell them they are being unfair and you want that device unlocked. No guarantees but it is worth a try. Apparently FCC complaints are never ignored by carrier.
Device unlocking is based on IMEI.
If you got a new phone for any reason, it's a new IMEI which means a whole new deal.
Like poog said, take it to the fcc.