Help - Was I scammed? - AT&T Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi. So I recently bought a used Note 3 on craigslist. The phone works perfect. I inserted my Sim and have been using the phone with no problems. I decided to stick with my G3 and tried to sell the Note online. Come to find out there is something weird about the IMEI number. The number on the status screen comes up as blacklisted. There is a different IMEI number under the battery that comes up as valid.
As I said the phone works fine, but I dont know what is going on. The seller is obviously not being very helpful with my questions.
I have read about people illegally changing the IMEI numbers on phones. Is this what happened?
Why is the number under the battery the valid one? I assumed that if someone messed with the software the number on the status screen would be valid and the one under the battery would be blacklisted. The sticker under the battery looks legit.
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you

They could have changed it, but what I think is more likely is that they changed out the screen at some point and left the wrong sticker on it. On most newer Samsung phones the IMEI sticker is on the screen assembly, so when you install a new screen you have to swap the stickers too. I'm a phone tech and I always swap the stickers whenever I put a new screen on a device just to avoid this kind of confusion.
I personally would aggressively pursue a refund cause you could end up with an expensive paperweight even though it works fine at the moment. Involve the police if the seller decides to get salty about it, cause it's technically fraud.

Thank you for the response. Why would swapping out the screen change the IMEI? Which IMEI is the phone currently using?
The seller is no help.

Open the dialer screen and press *#06#
Don't press send. It will give a notification of what imei the phone is using.

I did this. The blacklisted one comes up.

I don't doubt what you're saying is true. But who says it's blacklisted? If it's an internet source I'd call the carrier. The carrier can tell you why it's blacklisted, and depending on the case it can un-blacklist it.
I also don't understand how a blacklisted device is working.
Unfortunately if it is blacklisted, you've been scammed. Contact the police. The more info you have, the more they can help you. If you have the sellers phone number, address, and description of them you might have a chance. Otherwise all you can do is sell it as a blacklisted device.

You are as confused as I am. Hence my post. Lol
I used Swappa to verify.
The number on the Status screen is definitely different than the one under the battery.

kabuk1 said:
They could have changed it, but what I think is more likely is that they changed out the screen at some point and left the wrong sticker on it. On most newer Samsung phones the IMEI sticker is on the screen assembly, so when you install a new screen you have to swap the stickers too. I'm a phone tech and I always swap the stickers whenever I put a new screen on a device just to avoid this kind of confusion.
I personally would aggressively pursue a refund cause you could end up with an expensive paperweight even though it works fine at the moment. Involve the police if the seller decides to get salty about it, cause it's technically fraud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
440bro said:
Open the dialer screen and press *#06#
Don't press send. It will give a notification of what imei the phone is using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Green1534 said:
You are as confused as I am. Hence my post. Lol
I used Swappa to verify.
The number on the Status screen is definitely different than the one under the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ignore the IMEI under the battery it's just a sticker I think what @kabuk1 is saying is that it could be different because of a careless error during a repair. The IMEI that shows up on the device is the IMEI of the phone and the one you should care about. If that is the one that swappa says is blacklisted then you should take @440bro and @kabuk1 s advice and investigate further with the carrier or just contact the police.
Sucks if you got scammed, but if you bought it through swappa they're really helpful with whatever you need. I bought a phone from a seller who turned nonresponsive immediately after the paypal payment cleared and they guys at swappa were really helpful getting my money back...slightly different situation but there is hope!

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Just weird the phone works perfect.

Green1534 said:
Thanks everyone for the feedback.
Just weird the phone works perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be blacklisted on a different carrier than the one you're using. Usually what happens is that if a phone is blacklisted by T-Mobile, you won't be able to use it on their network but if the phone is unlocked you could still use it on other GSM networks.

The phone is AT&T model and I am using it on AT&T

Related

Quick Question

Apparently someone was messing with my phone yesterday while it was charging and messed up the usb connector on the bottom. (My kids) My question is if I buy a TILT outright, can I swap the bad one with the good one and return it?
I know in australia that you have to provide ID when returning products for any reason, it safe guards against exactly what you are trying to achieve.
You don't have insurance that could cover the replacement?
The IMEI & Serial numbers are all over the sale. Receipt, Box, Device, Sale, etc...
I guess I will put it on my homeowners policy. I figured the IMEI and serials would be the catch but thought I would ask. Thanks for the help.
grizzlymint said:
I guess I will put it on my homeowners policy. I figured the IMEI and serials would be the catch but thought I would ask. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
swap the motherboards!! well it works with linksys wrt54g models. Im sure they dont check that microscopic void sticker on the screws

[Q] What would happen if I change my imei?

Hi people I just bought an used Samsung Galaxy S, and I'm worried about the seller, the item works perfectly but I mostly bought it to use it as a game console, means I wont be using it as a cellphone of have a SIM card on it, it's just for WIFI navigation, to listen music, etc.
Since I (We) can't trust people over the internet, the seller will probably will call his/her old cellphone company and ask to block the cellphone by the IMEI, what would happen if I change the current IMEI to "000..000" or any other random number, will the cellphone work even if the seller told his/her company to block the cellphone, as I said before i just will use it for entertainment, not for making calls so it wont be connected to the network.
I'm asking this because my sister bought a cellphone 1 year ago and it was working as usual for 2 weeks or so then it got blocked by the company because the seller blocked the cellphone by IMEI on his cellphone company.
Thanks in advance for any kind of help.
Changing your IMEI is illegal.
If you're worried about the seller, why in the world did you buy it? Seriously.
Maybe the seller didn't contact the carrier about the IMEI, but the person who it was stolen from did. Maybe something to think about.
Like Electrotune said changing the IMEI is illegal (and I doubt anyone would help you with this).
Also you have to understand the IMEI is not just a text file where you change you can probably corrupt it but not change it.
By the way why would the seller do this? Did you buy it from ebay or from someone on the street? There is always some sort of protection if you bought it from ebay for example or used your credit card.
I think you are going the hard way about this....
K.
Why on earth would the seller report the phone stolen after he voluntarily sold it to you? Unless.... the seller stole the phone and you feel the price was so good because of it. And you think the person who was robbed of his phone will report it stolen.
Which means you knowingly bought a stolen phone. And why would you buy a 580 dollar smartphone to use ONLY as a gaming system? There arent that many awesome games for Android.
So who cares if the IMEI is blocked for you stolen phone. If your not going to put a sim in it and use it as a phone it wont matter. Keep enjoying your stolen phone!
I bought several used phones in my life, including galaxy s and my imei was never blocked. I think they do it only when the phone is reported stolen. Why would the seller do that? And even if he did, you go to your network operator and show him the papers that you bought the phone legally.
Wouldn't a tegra2 tablet be much better for gaming? Or even an iPod Touch? There are better games for iOs and an iPod Touch would be cheaper...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I think the TS is asking for a "how-to" to circumvent theft reporting. This topic should be closed.
radekgers said:
I bought several used phones in my life, including galaxy s and my imei was never blocked. I think they do it only when the phone is reported stolen. Why would the seller do that? And even if he did, you go to your network operator and show him the papers that you bought the phone legally.
Wouldn't a tegra2 tablet be much better for gaming? Or even an iPod Touch? There are better games for iOs and an iPod Touch would be cheaper...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it happens quite a lot. They buy on contract, sell the phone for a couple of hundred just low enough to make it sweet but not to low to arouse suspicion and then state a non recoverable (non PayPal) payment method. It is a well known scam. Some also do it o
utr of sheer malice for not getting the price they wanted.
The above comment still applies though in the first instance as doing this is fraud and theft from the supplier.
Sheer malice aside, why people do it? They get some kind of insurance money or something? Aren't they afraid that the buyer may make some kind of problems? Like go to the police.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
First of all, changing imei isn't illegal everywhere, but to answer you question if the operator blocks ypur imei you will be able to use it as a game console, as they pnly block the network functions (and not the phone)
Sent from my GT-I5700 using XDA Premium App
Hmmm. I smell horse processed oats in this "use it for gaming" pile...
Blade
ManuCasas said:
Hi people I just bought an used Samsung Galaxy S, and I'm worried about the seller, the item works perfectly but I mostly bought it to use it as a game console, means I wont be using it as a cellphone of have a SIM card on it, it's just for WIFI navigation, to listen music, etc.
Since I (We) can't trust people over the internet, the seller will probably will call his/her old cellphone company and ask to block the cellphone by the IMEI, what would happen if I change the current IMEI to "000..000" or any other random number, will the cellphone work even if the seller told his/her company to block the cellphone, as I said before i just will use it for entertainment, not for making calls so it wont be connected to the network.
I'm asking this because my sister bought a cellphone 1 year ago and it was working as usual for 2 weeks or so then it got blocked by the company because the seller blocked the cellphone by IMEI on his cellphone company.
Thanks in advance for any kind of help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hum weird, weird, wierd..... why would you care changing the imei anyway?, if the provider lock it, as you said you won't use the phone part.
Or maybe, you simply try to do a makeup of a stollen phone.... (...since you don't trust the seller, why should i/we trust you?...hum??? fishy anyway)
In all case it's illegal.
I own a Samsung. Gs myself from my carrier its clearly not stolen but I must admit I would like to know this myself
Although I want to know purely out of curiousity and in the case my phone got stolen
In summary it can be done
Is it an easy process because I bloody well hope not
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
If you just wanted something for gaming, why not buy an iPod touch or something? or a PSP Go or w/e
Why indeed!
People are always asking why one would want to change her IMEI other than for illegal reasons. I've got a perfectly legal reason that I share with a rapidly increasing number of others. I changed carriers and want to sell my old phone. I have no idea who will buy it or for what purpose they will use it. Doesn't it seem obvious that I would be utterly foolish to leave anything on that phone that could be traced back to me?
If I can't remove its past link to me I simply will not be able sell that phone without the potential of unthinkable liability (indefinite imprisonment without any due process in the U.S. were it used by the buyer for the purpose of terror.) That currently indelible link to me is its IMEI!
Or you could just get a receipt.......
To remember the most important thing: Your Samsung service center might not accept your phone for repairing. e.g. My Galaxy Tab which has replaced motherboard got bricked. The helper in Hong Kong required a proof that why the IMEI got changed. Fortunately I brought my repair description from another Samsung service center.

[Q] IMEI Is not the same as on the sticker.

Hi everyone,
maybe you could help me
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note from Ebay, I noticed that IMEI on the box and on the sticker behind the battery is not the same as on the phone itself.
The IMEI on the sticker behind the battery is the same as on the box.But if i check
*#06# on the phone it is not the same IMEI.
???????
The guy I bought it from, claimed the phone was brand new.
kluikis said:
Hi everyone,
maybe you could help me
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note from Ebay, I noticed that IMEI on the box and on the sticker behind the battery is not the same as on the phone itself.
The IMEI on the sticker behind the battery is the same as on the box.But if i check
*#06# on the phone it is not the same IMEI.
???????
The guy I bought it from, claimed the phone was brand new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be a innocent mistake, say the seller had checked the devices and mistakenly replaced them in the wrong box.
The ultimate question is how much you paid for it. If it was really cheap, then you have to ask the question why?
Maybe its a refurbished one, and somehow he has managed to get some boxes.
Me being the suspicious type, i would return it!
But hey, i could be wrong
original_ganjaman said:
It could be a innocent mistake, say the seller had checked the devices and mistakenly replaced them in the wrong box.
The ultimate question is how much you paid for it. If it was really cheap, then you have to ask the question why?
Maybe its a refurbished one, and somehow he has managed to get some boxes.
Me being the suspicious type, i would return it!
But hey, i could be wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wasnt that cheap.
if device was mistakenly replaced in the wrong box that really would not be the issue for me.
The problem is,
Sticker with IMEI under the battery is same as on the box, but not the same as on the phone if i put *#06#.
kluikis said:
It wasnt that cheap.
if device was mistakenly replaced in the wrong box that really would not be the issue for me.
The problem is,
Sticker with IMEI under the battery is same as on the box, but not the same as on the phone if i put *#06#.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds fishy to me. Someone could have changed the phone imei
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
*Replaced nv_data.bin maybe. I dont know whether its possible.
*Does the *#06# IMEI begin with 35 ?
It might be the default Samsung IMEI showing up as a result of a corrupt efs partition.
kluikis said:
Hi everyone,
maybe you could help me
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note from Ebay, I noticed that IMEI on the box and on the sticker behind the battery is not the same as on the phone itself.
The IMEI on the sticker behind the battery is the same as on the box.But if i check
*#06# on the phone it is not the same IMEI.
???????
The guy I bought it from, claimed the phone was brand new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would complain, return and buy from somebody else.
All three numbers should match on a brand new phone. If the sticker doesn't match the read out, then somebody messed with low level software or hardware, e.g. taking the case from one phone and sticking into it the hardware from another...
Just my two cents..
kluikis said:
It wasnt that cheap.
if device was mistakenly replaced in the wrong box that really would not be the issue for me.
The problem is,
Sticker with IMEI under the battery is same as on the box, but not the same as on the phone if i put *#06#.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Defiantly return it. I cant think of any legitimate reason for it to be like that.
Refurbished unit? Maybe!!!
That means someone has been doing something with this phone for sure.
Anyone could tell me where I should be looking for warranty void sticker on my Galaxy Note as I suspect that one is missing too.
Most likely you won't find that sticker - it's often inside the phone, between two parts of the phone case. Not knowing what you are doing when taring apart, you just rip the sticker in two pieces and Samsung techs will notice.
Besides - Return it. ^^ (could be stolen)
kluikis said:
Hi everyone,
maybe you could help me
I bought Samsung Galaxy Note from Ebay, I noticed that IMEI on the box and on the sticker behind the battery is not the same as on the phone itself.
The IMEI on the sticker behind the battery is the same as on the box.But if i check
*#06# on the phone it is not the same IMEI.
???????
The guy I bought it from, claimed the phone was brand new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello.. please I have the same issue with Infinix smart 5, the wired things is that when I use IMEI gotten through *#06# to verify the phone on IMEI.Info. the results show empty. But the imel on the stickers on battery cover bring out full results of the phone. Am really confused

Refurbished or New M8

I typed "##786# " in dialer and it went straight to rtn hidden screen.
It shows Reverse logistic Support.
Life calls -3342 calls
Life timer -9404 minutes
Reconditioning astatus - No
and some other infos.
what it is. plz help.
is my phone refurbished or new. Is it has been used to call 3342 calls.
Your phone is either refurbished, or it was in really good condition when it was returned.
Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
How did you acquire the phone to begin with?
bought it from ebay. He told me its a sprint unlocked phone but new.
maxorpio said:
bought it from ebay. He told me its a sprint unlocked phone but new.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would only expect a refurbished phone from someone like Asurion (via insurance claim). It's most definitely used, as you've already confirmed.
now i cant to anything hope its at least only used not a fake chinese one.
maxorpio said:
now i cant to anything hope its at least only used not a fake chinese one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can make a PayPal claim, and show proof with screenshots, and how it's different from advertised listing. Many countries are covered by Consumer Protection.
Check the IMEI (in any online website) it will show the device details.

sprint locked my phone for ever, any help please?

Hi guys,
I bought an used note 8 and used for 3 months, then "phone not allowed" started to show up in the top corner.
After I went to sprint store and they ran the imei #, they said this device is locked by sprint because it's reported stolen or lost and there is nothing we can do :crying:
Any help to save my money please?
Thank You
looking forward
kahtan said:
Hi guys,
I bought an used note 8 and used for 3 months, then "phone not allowed" started to show up in the top corner.
After I went to sprint store and they ran the imei #, they said this device is locked by sprint because it's reported stolen or lost and there is nothing we can do :crying:
Any help to save my money please?
Thank You
looking forward
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to either get a hold of whoever you bought it from or there's not going to be anything that anyone can do about it because whoever sold you the phone waited for 3 months after you got it and then they reported it stolen and the reason they do that sh¡t is because they'll be given another phone for free usually or a small fee and then they'll turn around and do the same thing all over again! That's why you don't buy from people unless they're willing to meet you in the carriers local store that way they'll know for sure that you bought it and the person won't be able to do that.. If you can't get your money back or find the person you bought it from then you'll have to accept it as a lesson learned and don't do that again..
kahtan said:
Hi guys,
I bought an used note 8 and used for 3 months, then "phone not allowed" started to show up in the top corner.
After I went to sprint store and they ran the imei #, they said this device is locked by sprint because it's reported stolen or lost and there is nothing we can do :crying:
Any help to save my money please?
Thank You
looking forward
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are a great deal of sites that can fix a blacklisted IMEI for a fee. Usually around $35 to $50 or so. The blacklist fix does work when obtained from reputable sites. Double edged sword there tho, youre needing a "reputable" site to do "not reputable" stuff for you.
MrMike2182 said:
You need to either get a hold of whoever you bought it from or there's not going to be anything that anyone can do about it because whoever sold you the phone waited for 3 months after you got it and then they reported it stolen and the reason they do that sh¡t is because they'll be given another phone for free usually or a small fee and then they'll turn around and do the same thing all over again! That's why you don't buy from people unless they're willing to meet you in the carriers local store that way they'll know for sure that you bought it and the person won't be able to do that.. If you can't get your money back or find the person you bought it from then you'll have to accept it as a lesson learned and don't do that again..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some of what you said is right. Always get the IMEI from the seller and check it yourself. Do not believe what the seller tells you. Its actually very fast and easy to check for blacklisting. Even at the time of purchase, boot up the phone and triple check the IMEI and once youve done that and purchased the phone, thats pretty much all you can do. Also make sure that its not currently attached to an account. And when you buy it, you can dial the *86 (i think thats the star key combo to get customer service) and verify that the phone doesnt have a balance on it. Of course, all of this is best if done in person for obvious reasons.
youdoofus said:
there are a great deal of sites that can fix a blacklisted IMEI for a fee. Usually around $35 to $50 or so. The blacklist fix does work when obtained from reputable sites. Double edged sword there tho, youre needing a "reputable" site to do "not reputable" stuff for you.
some of what you said is right. Always get the IMEI from the seller and check it yourself. Do not believe what the seller tells you. Its actually very fast and easy to check for blacklisting. Even at the time of purchase, boot up the phone and triple check the IMEI and once youve done that and purchased the phone, thats pretty much all you can do. Also make sure that its not currently attached to an account. And when you buy it, you can dial the *86 (i think thats the star key combo to get customer service) and verify that the phone doesnt have a balance on it. Of course, all of this is best if done in person for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I understand the IMEI thing but the IMEI will come back clear in the beginning because the person who sold the phone didn't report it stolen right away they purposely wait 3 months that way whoever they sold it to is long gone and can't prove they bought it from them so it gets black listed and then the seller gets a new phone and the buyer has a paperweight if they can't get it off the blacklist.
MrMike2182 said:
Yeah I understand the IMEI thing but the IMEI will come back clear in the beginning because the person who sold the phone didn't report it stolen right away they purposely wait 3 months that way whoever they sold it to is long gone and can't prove they bought it from them so it gets black listed and then the seller gets a new phone and the buyer has a paperweight if they can't get it off the blacklist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reason #732,155,289,001,914 why i hate humans detailed in this gentleman's post above. Unscrupulous people trying to pawn their bullshyte off on other people for their own gain and waiting 3 months to intentionally f*ck a person out of their hard earned money by putting a phone up on offer and letting a person buy it in good faith and letting them use it happily for 3 months then eff the buyer right in the a by reporting it stolen for their own pathetic gain
I was totally unaware that this could happen.
Thanks for the valuable information. If you all could be so kind to give me your opinion. I was considering buying a phone from ebay advanced as having a. clean IMEI with 30 day free returns. Therfore, am I correct in assuming that the prof of purchase from PayPal and ebay will prevent a seller from blacklisting imy phone in the future? Will, the carrier accept this as prof of ownership? Thank you.
Ps. Sorry to here about your phone

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