Related
and today when I was looking into unlocking my phone, I noticed that the system IMEI is different from the IMEI label on the back of the phone.
I am using a deep shining ROM. did the ROM flash over the IMEI or was my phone just messed up to begin with?
also is there a soft method of finding out whether or not my phone is already unlocked?
Sorry to say but that guy messed your over by changing the IMEI. Flashing a rom doesn't do anything to IMEI, special tools and software CAN change it, and that is what this guy did. You can't do anything to change that, as changing IMEI is downright illegal and you dont want to get caught up in that.
As for finding out if its unlocked, take another companies SIM CARD, ie if you are with ATT, go and get a Rogers, or whoever else uses a SIM CARD, and find out if it will work in the phone.
so, it is quite possible that this phone is stolen? damn... what are the potential consequences of that? if he switched the original IMEI to the current one that I have, what if someone legitamately uses the imei on the same network, am I going to be screwed?
SUBLIMINALLYINC said:
so, it is quite possible that this phone is stolen? damn... what are the potential consequences of that? if he switched the original IMEI to the current one that I have, what if someone legitamately uses the imei on the same network, am I going to be screwed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you will not get screwed. {Unless you really want to; then I'm sure we can arrange for it}
IMEI {International Mobile Electronics Identification} Numbers are uniqe to every phone, but the network does not {& I believe Cannot} read the IMEI. ESNs {Electronic Serial Numbers} are a different thing, as the CDMA networks use this # to Identify the devices network authenticity {in other words: Whether or not it's authorized to use the network}. GSM {Global SIM Management} Phones rely on the SIM card to authenticate the devices access to the network. An IMEI is never sent thru the network! That's like posting your social security # online {Mine's 420-69-840} About the only time that a false IMEI is a problem, is when you need to get it unlocked {as you are trying to}; or if you need to report it stolen/lost. If the latter is the case then you will need to provide the authorities with both IMEIs. This is in case the person that has it removes the label in the back. For unlocking the device, you need to give the # that's in the software; as this is the only # the phone knows. Oh yeah, You can't send it in to get HTC warranty service either
Have you tried asking the person you bought it from about this? I would!! I would want to know why he did it, how he did it, & where the other # came from. It is a possibility that he had replaced the Mainboard with another unit, but he should have changed the labels at the same time. I have done this with a few phones {combine a couple bad ones to make a good one}, but I always ensure the IMEI or ESN matches on the back & in the software! If you believe you were defrauded, then contact the authorities & explain it to them. If there is another phone with the same IMEI, they should be able to tell you.
It might either be that he changed the main board or the cover itself.. (hopefully he did not steal it..)
I wouldnt worry too much about it though. Just go with the IMEI that is displayed on your screen not on the back of the phone.
well i tried to get an unlock code by using the IMEI read off the system page on my diamond and the guy couldnt get aan unlock code; is there anyother way to get the correct code>?
SUBLIMINALLYINC said:
so, it is quite possible that this phone is stolen? damn... what are the potential consequences of that? if he switched the original IMEI to the current one that I have, what if someone legitamately uses the imei on the same network, am I going to be screwed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Maybe it is or it isn't (but it is possible). It depends on which country that person bought this phone and maybe he used warranty service. I had this issue myself.After 2 month My Diamond didn't recognize my simcard, i sent it for warranty and when it came back GPS didn't work. so i sent it again , when i received it, at repair center they said that they replace mainboard, so imei changes and i received written document that they replaced mainboard (my back panel imei and the imei that phone shows are different now).
for checking it , Goto this site : http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis&sub=imeinr
enter both imei and check them, if both are for diamond i think your mainboard is changed before, but if the imei that phone shows is belong to another handset (for Ex : a nokia one or another htc model) i can say 99% percent your phone is stolen.
i'd probably bet he's bought an "original" housing from auction site. i've done it many of times but i usually rip the imei sticker off, bear in mind the imei on the diamond is only on a metal plate, he may have forgot to change this part, he may have damaged his old imei sticker/plate, as stated above he may have changed his main board also, there is many possibilities.
don't worry about it, if your still a bit worried try the CheckMEND online service here:
http://www.checkmend.com/uk/
It costs £1.99 per go, (which you'd want to do both imei's) but you get a certificate telling you wahts dodgy or not about your phone.
it a great service if you feel a little worried.
While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
FrstdOne said:
While a new member, I've been following the community a bit and have flashed my Captivate successfully several times.
It started acting weird earlier this week (lagging and shutting itself off) so I decided to re-flash it and re-apply SRE with all the goodies it brings.
Since my last flash, the phone works fine (calls, messaging, and Internet) except for one problem - the Android Market.
I can access the market but am unable to download anything. I've tried many different solutions, ROM's (JF2, JH2, and JH3), 3G/WiFi, internal settings, clearing the Market cache, Dalvik cache, etc., using Market Access and going outside of AT&T's allowed applications, all to no avail. It's the same whether I attempt to download after a fresh flash or after applying SRE. I've also tried Unleash the Beast.
Finally I decided to call AT&T to find out if there was a problem somewhere on their end.
Here's the weird thing:
The IMEI I have on the sticker under my battery is that of a Captivate and matches what they have on record. The representative I spoke to told me that the IMEI I have in my phone's menu is an iPhone IMEI.
With all that being said, I have two questions:
1) How did this happen?
2) How can I fix it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does your imei start with?
madjsp said:
What does your imei start with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one in the software starts with 004999
The one on the sticker starts with 351863
Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp
did you ask them to update youe imei number? would likly fix it, could have just been an accident, from what i have read about 10% of imei number are not unique so somehting could have gotten messed up server side
vinunleaded182 said:
Iphone imei starts with 011. That rep doesnt know what hes doingp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
also a quick google of the 0049 imei shows that there are several iphones with that imei
The rep who I've been working with is off today but she said she'd call me tomorrow. I'll ask her to update the number and hopefully she can.
Unfortunately, while I'm pretty much a noob to all this, I've found that I still know more than most of the people on the AT&T side and the rep I've been working with is the most knowledgeable of the group.
Did you go from an iphone to the samsung if so, it could be a translation issue on atts side which means the billing system never updated the imei to the switch because it errored out on the billing side happend all the time when i use to be a switch tech for att simple to fix just need to file a ticket with a certain department but can be a pain if the rep is new.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I thought the phone read its IMEI number from its own hardware. This thread implies that something on the network is telling the phone what its IMEI Number should be.
I know there are a lot of Ebay phones with bogus stickers - the stickers have one SN/EMEI number, but the phone internally says another.
Where did you get your phone?
I've never owned an iPhone and I purchased the Captivate from a corporate store, not from an authorized reseller or ebay.
wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)
labbu63 said:
wait cant this be useful if we can change the imei to a vibrant one we can get money off of data or would most of you feel bad for doing that (one good thing about that though for 10 dollars we get unlimited data)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.
yeah i know but im just saying if someone isnt scared to go to jail
If the IMEI shows as 004999010640000, you might check out this thread. Good luck.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=777288
PS: you might want to look at this specific post in that thread.....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8060884&postcount=33
BigJayDogg3 said:
You gotta pay to play. If you don't want to pay smartphone fees, don't get a smartphone. I'm sure we'd all like a break on price, but when it comes down to it, we can't get one, so we make do.
And unless the modmyi forum was wrong, that's illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use
xatrekak said:
actually i was just looking at the library of congress's recent ruling on the DMCA and their new excemptions and read this
"
(3) Computer programs, in the form of firmware or software, that enable used wireless telephone handsets to connect to a wireless telecommunications network, when circumvention is initiated by the owner of the copy of the computer program solely in order to connect to a wireless telecommunications network and access to the network is authorized by the operator of the network.
"
sounds like to me that changing the imei is legal as long as the only reason you are doing it is to connect to a network that you are already authorized to use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing The imei is illegal and has nothing to do with the DMCA. changing The imei is fraud like changing a car's vin number.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal
how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know
labbu63 said:
how do you know its illegal the DMCA was changed and said it was legal so until you find something that says its illegal we will never know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are confusing unlocking with changing your IMEI. It is legal to unlock and hack, it is not legal to change the phone's network id.
xatrekak said:
alphadog00 i was wondering that, you wouldn't happen to be able to point out to me which law that is contained in, i have heard it was illegal like a million times but havn't seen the law yet. but i have always liked reading the actual laws that make the things i want to illegal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't point to you an exact law, but cloning phones has been considered fraudulent for years and people have been prosecuted. In changing the IMEI number, you are in essence cloning a phone - it may not exist yet, but it could. So once a new phone is made with the new EMEI number you created, you have created fraud.
After doing some research - this is the section of federal code that is used to prosecute cell phone cloners:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00001029----000-.html
U.S. Code: TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 47 > § 1029
§ 1029. Fraud and related activity in connection with access *devices
You may not get arrested for changing your IMEI (not one person anyway) but at some point the carrier will probably just black list your device or your account.
Changing the IMEI or ESN basically makes your device a counterfeit access device. Some debate that if they own 3 phones they should be able to let them all share one IMEI if only one is active at a time.
Personally, I can see no valid reason to change your IMEI - swapping sim cards is easy enough.
Hi,
I accidently lost my phone yesterday, and I'm wondering if there is any way to track the phone? Is there any like main security function installed chip or something which is always enabled and a way to track it?
I didn't even bother install any application incased I lost my phone before, but it's to late to regret that now.
Hope someone could please help me out!
Thanks!
Only if you'd first set up built in tracking security in settings and checked box to turn on. Otherwise someone has just scored a nice phone sorry
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
IF nobody found your phone YET, and your gps in on and IF you have a friend in latitude, and you gave him permisions to see your location, then you could use his phone to track yours.
But those are ALOT of IFs
Ah ****... I never turn on the GPS, because it does use data traffic, and used to ruin my battery life on the phone. So in this case, the guy who found my phone got a scored, huh?
****....
Ciex said:
Hi,
I accidently lost my phone yesterday, and I'm wondering if there is any way to track the phone? Is there any like main security function installed chip or something which is always enabled and a way to track it?
I didn't even bother install any application incased I lost my phone before, but it's to late to regret that now.
Hope someone could please help me out!
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't think so...
I think that u need to call Ur network, & report it to them. basically they can track ur imei via towers, so lets hope that the adviser would be a helpful person. All the best
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
How am I supposed to give them the IMEI number? If I remember correctly, the IMEI number are actually located on the phone itself.
Ciex said:
How am I supposed to give them the IMEI number? If I remember correctly, the IMEI number are actually located on the phone itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your network will have it.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
If you have access to your phone via market.android.com you could install to your phone an app which recieves silently sms-es and sends you needed data in return. Assuming of course that the sim is not changed. Can't remember the name of the app though :/
Trying to googling for the app now. This sounds very good stuff. Hopefully the guy didn't take of my sim card.
If there is any other solutions. I'm more happy to and willing to hear your help!
IMEI number is on the box if you still have it...
Never tried this but maybe it will work for you:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb&feature=search_result
Tried to using the Plan B, but I haven't recieved any mails regarding where my phone is lost.
I still got my Phone box! I will check it out later!
Ciex said:
Tried to using the Plan B, but I haven't recieved any mails regarding where my phone is lost.
I still got my Phone box! I will check it out later!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool concept.... I just tried it out for the hell of it... and it didn't work for me either....Even after sending a text message 'locate' it didn't work.
the IMEI number is always written in the contract papers from your provider.
With this number the provider will be able to find the phone. the IMEI will be marked as stolen and if the "finder" tries to sell it or whatsoever, the phone will be returned. i hope you have an insurance buddy!
Might come in a bit late but might help others:
- learn from this and install something to track before you lose it. If you want something more thief-proof I recommend Theft Aware. They even have a 70% off promo currently running.
If it's just about tracking, any app should be okay (but personally I prefer one I can control by SMS).
- as far as I can tell and have read, GPS does not consume any bandwidth/data/energy if you simply turn on the option alone. I always have my GPS turned on but it's not used until I start some app that makes use of GPS. It doesn't seem to drain any additional energy if idle.
I just got my Note stolen a few hours ago, I am so pissed right now, but hey what can I do... I live in Nicaragua, so no warranty and no police claim will get it back for me...
Tomorrow I will call my carrier and see if I can block my phone through IMEI number so the son of a **** that stole it cannot use it...
I never kept my gps enabled unless I was using it so no tracking software will be able to track my phone, I already blocked my number with my carrier so I guess there is not much I can do to track it, but I would like to sign out of everything on my phone, and I was just wondering if I changed passwords on every service installed on my phone would the theif still be able to login if I had checked the "remember me" or "stayed logged in" options?
Thanks,
Chaosin1983 said:
I just got my Note stolen a few hours ago, I am so pissed right now, but hey what can I do... I live in Nicaragua, so no warranty and no police claim will get it back for me...
Tomorrow I will call my carrier and see if I can block my phone through IMEI number so the son of a **** that stole it cannot use it...
I never kept my gps enabled unless I was using it so no tracking software will be able to track my phone, I already blocked my number with my carrier so I guess there is not much I can do to track it, but I would like to sign out of everything on my phone, and I was just wondering if I changed passwords on every service installed on my phone would the theif still be able to login if I had checked the "remember me" or "stayed logged in" options?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to install plan b from the market. You can install it remotely from Google play using a web browser and should be able to get the GPS coordinates of your phone providing the thief has not removed your Google account. Do it asap to increase your chances.
+1 Good idea, However The phone will need to have internet access to receive the remote download.
Dont suppose you had Lookout installed ?? On my device it is un-installable, and i can remotely turn GPS on / off, Track the phone, Wipe everything, Lock the device, and even make the phone scream !! (useful for when you are tracking and a close enough to hear it)
I hope you get it back !!
Changing the password won't let the thief use any of the services you have logged into. The app should request him for the new password. Do it ASAP!
I feel for you man! Had my iPod touch, Optimus 2X and Galaxy SII stolen!
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA
first of all sorry you, that's one of the worst things that can happen to a phone.
if you think the theft is using your phone only with a different simcard you have the following options:
- try planb (as already mentioned above) to locate your phone.
- if you have a google account on the phone, try android lost that will gain you the full control over the phone including locating it, taking photos of the cameras and wiping the complete data of the device out. its a really great tool .
- if you have a Samsung account on your phone, try the samsung dive website with this you can also do things like locating or wiping data view call logs and so on.
if all the above fail you should change the passwords of all your accounts used on the phone, especially the email accounts. also try to contact your provider, really few of them provide a location service based on the imei number of the device. and also some of them offer the service to put the device's imei number to a ban list so the phone is useless at all because it cant login in to the gsm network.
*EDIT*: go to the police and let them give you a document that the phone is stolen, and the imei and serial numbers. give this document to samsung and they will put the device to a blacklist, so the device wont get service/support/repair anymore.
i hope some of this become useful to you
Best thing would be to:
1- Track it (with the app said above) or with Samsung Dive!
2- Find the perp
3- Beat him with a cow bone
4- Retrieve the phone
5- Send it to me for inspection
Hi guys, thanks for your help, I installed Plan B a few hours after the OP, but still no email...I would gladly beat the crap out of the theif, but I fear I won't see my note again, I have already ordered another one, this time I will install every tracking anti theft app available...
Anyhow, after this, I installed Lookout on my Girlfriends Note, and tried out the tracking, the tracking is not that accurate, it positions the phone within a 2 Km radius...any other app that would be more accurate?
Thanks,
Im using avast and i have to say its working well, it has a ton of features, you can make mobile data persistent with a single text making tracking that bit more accurate
combine it with the screaming feature of lookout and you should be able to hear it if you are close enough.
Try samsung dive
http://www.samsungdive.com
Lol samsung dive will dissapear when factory reset
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
Little late for the original poster but Cerberus is a nice app too. I got in on a free promotion. I have it activated and don't even think about till I get an email saying that I changed my sim. You can remotely hide the app, wipe phone/sdcard have a login screen pop up appear, record video and or audio and map in real time.
Even though I think tracking your kids is creepy, I can see how some parents would love to install it on their kid's phone.
Thanks again for all the info, I will try all these once my new phone gets here.
I have a question though, all of these tracking apps need data connection on the cel phone's side...correct? What if the theif turns off data connection? Is there one that works with only GPS?
Well in avast, you can remotely activate data network even if the thief switches it off, It also has stealth mode where it hides all traces of being installed.
If you are rooted it can even withstand a factory reset.
Chaosin1983 said:
Thanks again for all the info, I will try all these once my new phone gets here.
I have a question though, all of these tracking apps need data connection on the cel phone's side...correct? What if the theif turns off data connection? Is there one that works with only GPS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS also needs data connectivity.
ravi_buz said:
GPS also needs data connectivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used GPS trakcing with data off before ...it will track you even if the map does not render...afterwards when you get connectivity the map will be displayed along with your tracking info.
GPS don't requires data connection thogh, tracking won't work without data connection.
GPS fix the position without data connection, but for tracking you need to pass that information to server, which needs data connection.
can i unblock a samsung galaxy note ?
hey everyone !
so i got scammed in ebay and i got a samsung galaxy note n7000. the guy said it worked perfectly and stuff...buuut no !! when i got the phone it wont read any sim card so i just figured it was from the sim card reader. when i took it to my retailer they told me the phone was stolen/lost and the original owner kinda blocked it so no one can use it. i have access to the phone and everything except that it wont read my sim card. i contacted the guy i got from on ebay and filed a claim and everything but i know these things can take FOREVER before i can get my money back. the guy i got it from told me he bought on ebay too in november 2012. i dont wanna sell the phone again on ebay and scam more people i tried looking for the original owner so we can figure out a deal but i couldnt.
is there anyway i can fix this phone ?!! or can i contact the samsung store maybe and they can find the original owner ?!! please help...anyone ?!!!
Strange. Post could be chameleon or possibly victim of stolen phone.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
salmavic said:
hey everyone !
so i got scammed in ebay and i got a samsung galaxy note n7000. the guy said it worked perfectly and stuff...buuut no !! when i got the phone it wont read any sim card so i just figured it was from the sim card reader. when i took it to my retailer they told me the phone was stolen/lost and the original owner kinda blocked it so no one can use it. i have access to the phone and everything except that it wont read my sim card. i contacted the guy i got from on ebay and filed a claim and everything but i know these things can take FOREVER before i can get my money back. the guy i got it from told me he bought on ebay too in november 2012. i dont wanna sell the phone again on ebay and scam more people i tried looking for the original owner so we can figure out a deal but i couldnt.
is there anyway i can fix this phone ?!! or can i contact the samsung store maybe and they can find the original owner ?!! please help...anyone ?!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe, but how do I know you didnt steal it yourself/know you bought a stolen phone?
Salmavic please return that phone to chaosin! Lol jk
_______________
Via GT-n7OOO using xda app-lite
Hi there,
I have had a razr i (XT890 UK) for a few years and use it as a backup phone when travelling. When recently in Argentina I had the phone and a load of computer equipment stolen, luckily I had Cerberus installed on my phone and located the thief and managed to get a search warrant served on his house by the police and recovered all my equipment! But, now back in the UK the phone won't register on any UK networks. I just looked at the baseband and it appears to have been flashed to one called SUNRISE_SMB_REV30_V2_R3_ENZO_1251.B_SEC. Does anyone know if it's possible to flash my phone back to factory settings and functioning on a UK network, or if I should just forget about it?
Many thanks for any advice.
Yes, that should be possible. Have a look at the radio flashing thread and extract the radio image from an rsd lite zip file. I don't know exactly how it works, but it should be manageable
It could also be blocked if you've reported your phone lost or stolen to your insurance company or mobile network.
Thank you, i'll give it a go. I did report the loss to my mobile carrier since my sim card was in the phone but i didn't report thr phone's imei as stolen since there was a remote chance that it might get returned. Hopefully the flash of the BB will return it to life. Thanks again for the feedback, much appreciated.