yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] alphadog00:
How do you un-blacklist a phone. The phone is blacklisted by the owner with the carrier - the IMEI Is blocked in a database shared by all the carriers. This is the same model that is rolling out here and is used in EU - it has ended phone theft there.

If it is easy to unblaclist, then it would not be effective deterrent.

Any links to "places that do it"?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] oddspec:
I wouldn't post links to that they will be removed by mods and I'm sure it similar to the old dumb phone way of cloning numbers basically finding a way to change the imei and screwing some inoccent person over with a valid imei
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Yeah it is. I know how to do it, but if I did that then I'd be just as bad as the little fag who screwed me over.. so I'll handle it the right way
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Dude what, I could have verified it too. He reported it stolen the NEXT DAY, not before I met him. What do you want me to do, fly into the future and check if it'll be reported in a week or so?.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
I'm an ordinary guy, I'm not some time traveling wizard like you obviously are.. sorry man, we aren't all as smart as you. I met him in a public place (walgreens) and made sure everything worked. He wanted 400 originally but I found a chip in the bezel so worked it to 300...
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] blyndfyre:
You call 911 for a non-emergency?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Lol no we have a seperate 862-XXX number, but you know what I meant..
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] george241312:
Few cell phone stores do it but you have to be discreet.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
While it can be done very easily. it is very illegal to do so. No one here will be able to help with that. Always make these types of purchases In a store.

Wayne Tech Nexus
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] neo4uo:
The district attorney for your city/county will prosecute the case. This is criminal case and you aren't the defendant so you will not pay a dime. Now if you like you may file a civil lawsuit in small claims court against him. You could do this now or I would wait until he is prosecuted to strengthen your case. There you can ask for fees including the money you lost. There might be a small fee you pay to file the case. Anyways if he gets prosecuted I would be sure to sue him to get back your money in civil court.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] alphadog00:
So to be clear; there is no "Unblacklisting". What is really meant is changing the ID of the phone.

This is very different and as mentioned, can't be discussed here as it is not legal. When someone mentioned unblacklist it implied to me a way of actually removing the blacklisted ID from the blacklist.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] penguinjoe:
Are you sure you didn't buy a hot phone? Was the price you paid too good to be true? Sounds like this was a shady deal from the get-go.

*If I were a crook and I wanted to unload my stolen phones, I would sell them on CL.

Just sayin...
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] AutoUnion:
Yeah. Some buyers are too trusting or dumb. The last few people I've sold phones too, I just handed them the box with the phone and that was it. They didn't check anything or even put a SIM in. Theyre asking for trouble

- sent from Galaxy S4
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] viny2cool:
Better to buy and sell phones on Swappa.com. They verify the IMEI number as soon as you list it. No verification no listing.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Red_81:
I love swappa. I bought and sold there. Even swappa wouldn't have helped in this case because the seller reported it stolen the NEXT day.

You can take the guy to small claims court and you should win. You will be able to claim the court fees and actual loses. I think you can even factor in your time off work. If you go that route, dress in a suit or at least a shirt and tie. If you show up looking proper and he is sagging his pants the judge will usually rule pretty quickly in your favor.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
You guys do realize that he blacklisted it the next day, does anyone read here?. I checked the IMEI, it came clean. Just as swappa would have shown, but if the guy reports it after he's gone then....?

Anyway, detective called me today and says he a possible suspect, going into his office Wednesday to confirm.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Obviously not. It was his phone since he had the power to unblacklist it for a moment when he said he did............
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] alex6speed:
Thanks for sharing this story, OP. This is a perfect article on what to be aware of when buying used directly from the owner. Considering cellphone change hands like used cars nowadays, it's important to know how to defend yourself. Thanks again!
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] oldblue910:
In the future, if you buy a used phone, you should immediately call your carrier and have that IMEI number put onto your account. That should (in theory, anyway) prevent the seller from doing something fraudulent like reporting it stolen the next day. Once that IMEI is on your account, you're the only one who can report it stolen. Also make the seller call their carrier in front of you and have that IMEI number removed from their account.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
please update us on what happens :)
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] plwalsh88:
I like that earlier suggestion of just getting right to the point and meeting in a corp AT&T store. You gotta meet up with him anyway, so why not try to make it as bulletproof as possible?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Yeah but I've met at an AT&T store too. (I'm with T-Mobile) and they said they can't switch the owner because its tied to it from purchase. So I don't know, seems like you can commit insurance fraud, and no matter how you approach it or how safe you may take it, you can still be a victim of it.... detective called me today asked me to come in Wednesday.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Oh and check this out haha. Look at what he randomly texts me the other day. Garret bring the guy who sold me the phone, and the one texting me being his friend.

I'm a nice enough guy to filter his number out, which I really shouldnt lol.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] stl-soldier:
While we wait for an update to this saga, anyone know of a legal means of changing an IMEI? The OP was a victim of fraud along with the insurance company, but many of us have old/broken phones with valid #s. It would be nice to be able to transfer an IMEI from an old phone to a new one in order to get it working while staying legal.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] niceppl:
Still illegal...

---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:27 PM ----------

Normally Imei is tied with sn number and different phone will have different form of sn number... its easy to tell if the imei dies not belong to kind of the phone
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] stl-soldier:
Thanks. This thread is exciting AND informative.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] george241312:
Lol those are probably the smart ones no questions asked ,probably because if it is blocked theyll know how to "deal with it"
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Dude we know how to swap IMEI's.. Its not anything hard, its just doing right or wrong.... you can be a crook, but that's one thing I am not.... you always think you're "smart" until you get caught..
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] toxicpaulution:
Its not hard to do a lot of things to make a quick Buck. But all of it is illegal and above all else immoral. I'm not a church person or anything but doesn't mean I don't have morals nor anyone else on here. You could say you wanna switch imeis and such to "your" other phones but noone on XDA is going to tell you how. But anywho OP I wish you luck. I bought an infuse off CL for 75$ about a month ago. I was alittle worried because it was so cheap and in good condition. Used it before I bought it to make sure it wasn't blacklisted but was lucky enough to have a nice person selling it to me who wasn't looking to rip off. That's my first and last time buying on Craigslist just so I can be one for one. I usually only buy new but was in desperate need of a phone(I was running Sony xperia x10) but I think overall you have a pretty good case. And for the other guy to tell you he went to jail for something unrelated it means he's in the system with a bad list and who knows maybe he has something to do with ripping money from someone and it will just add cusion to your case. But yes goodluck :)
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Thermalwolf:
OP I think you got a real compelling case. Especially since his buddy pretty much admitted he's in **** for the phone, unrelated or not. Also make sure if you're going to post screenies here that you keep any identifying info blacked out. It could be considered harassment or something along those lines and crooks like him will try to turn everything around in self defense, which he proved he's capable of doing when he reblocked the IMEI.

Best of luck but if you're going for a line up tomorrow and this guy is in jail then that just definitely mean they got him for you. You're not out of the woods yet but there's plenty of light shining through the canopy for you :)
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] alphadog00:
Your premise makes no sense. Where would you get the "new" phone that you want to erase the IMEI on? If you knowingly buy a stolen phone you are just as guilty as the crook.

This should not even be debated. If you buy a stolen car, would you wonder how to change the VIN?

It sucks getting ripped off, but that doesn't justify perpetuating the problem.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
There is no legal way to change the IMEI. Only the manufacturer has the right to change it. This will not be debated or talked about past my post. I hope I am clear on this.

Wayne Tech Nexus
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] ViciousLSD:
I usually trade phones from the same carrier... I clearly state that if the phone gets blacklisted that I will report the phone stolen. Or I trade for a different carriers phone that's unlocked. ..
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
We shall see what is in store tomorrow. I just want my money back haha... jeez people make life so complicated.....
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kcb2627:
I recently bought my s4 off of CL. I traded my note 2 and $100 for it. I don't know if the guy even has insurance or not but how worried should I be about him calling it in last or trying to file a claim on it? I looked at my account online and it now says I have an s4. A guy at an at&t store said it's Because of my sim card that it says that.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Nah don't be worried at all dude. This is the first time this has happened, and I've traded at least 20 phones.. you'll be fine, some people are just losers.. enjoy the S4, I personally hate it haha. I like the note better
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] stl-soldier:
You misunderstood. The OP bought the phone legally and got screwed by the seller after the sale when he reported it stolen. I was asking if there was a way to take the IMEI from an old phone that is no longer used and transfer it to the phone that was purchased legally. My premise makes perfect sense, and my question was already answered.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] alphadog00:
I didn't misunderstand. I know the OP purchased the phone legally, But your statement " but many of us have old/broken phones with valid #s. It would be nice to be able to transfer an IMEI from an old phone to a new one in order to get it working while staying legal"

implies that there is a source of "good" phones to replace "old broken" phones. Unless all these good phones are the result of the same insurance scam by owners (unlikely), they must be stolen.

And even if everyone with broken phones, bought phones from legitimate owners that are pulling insurance scams, the phone then actually belongs to the insurance company if the insurance company paid the original owner.

It sucks but the buyer is screwed - there is no way around that, and trying to find a way to legitimize this is wrong.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] jacob.alberty:
I seem to recall a mod telling us to shut up about IMEI switching, you're feeding him lets end this now and get back on subject please. The subject is kurdish's issue with the blacklisted IMEI as part of an insurance scam and I for one am very interested in hearing how this turns out first off because who doesn't love gossip? Secondly it would be nice to know how to handle this the most effectively and what the possible outcomes are should I ever end up in this situation. So unless you have personal experience with the situation hes in why don't y'all two take it to PM.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
Your right I did. And the next person that brings it back up will be banned.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] pejhod:
Pro tip for next time, please call your local police dispatch. Don't call 911.

911 should only be used for actual emergencies. Your call could possibly slow someone else's attempt to call in, one that could save their lives.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] plwalsh88:
Read the thread next time. He already explained he was just using 911 as a shorthand for his local phone number.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Lol. Dude... I have nothing to say to you.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Update!

Okay so I went in at 10am to the police department and met up with the detective working on my case for the first time.. it was a brief meeting, only about 5 minutes. He showed me a line up, I located the guy in the blink of an eye, circled him and that was it. We joked for a few and he said he would need me to come again on Monday to sign the warrant he issued for his arrest..
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Slade8525:
lmao all over a phone, probably gonna get a crapton of fines etc. good for him!
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
OP delivers!! well done
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] quarlow:
This is another reason I took a hit on the value, but sold my old phone to Best Buy when I got a new phone. Also always looming in my mind buying any smart phone second hand.

I wonder how long the purchaser of the phone can lie in the shadows to report the phone stolen, the duration of the contract? Could someone even do this months later?

Is the guy trying to get a new phone from insurance or just getting out of the AT&T contract? AT&T gave me the option to suspend the billing the last time I reported a phone lost/stolen. I didn't have insurance, but they said I could basically put the account on hold with no charges for as long as I wanted, as the device was stolen. If he can't pay the bill he may just be looking for a way to stop paying for the service contract without the ETF.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
ALL OVER A PHONE!!!! I can't believe it, even after I repeatedly told him I'd drop charges if he GIVES MY MONEY BACK. But nope...

I think he couldn't pay his bill, because his phone number was disconnected the next day.. idiot...
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
not true. They can suspend and lower to possibly a $9.99 monthly charge, but no way in hell can nor will a company say oh hey, don't pay us even tho you're contracted to.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Aou:
Seeing a few of these threads about blacklisted and "reported stolen" phones, I'm wondering the same. Or more specifically, if there's a way that you could have the previous owner call in (immediately before the sale in front of the buyer) to the carrier and authorize that the phone transfer ownership.

Or vice-versa: be able to preemptively provide a bill of sale to your carrier to show that you are now the new owner of this device. Otherwise I wonder if any "random person" could report any IMEI as stolen? Such as someone's IMEI that they left in a photo of their phone on the web.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] quarlow:
Uh ... So true.

You'll forgive me if I believe what I was explicitly told by AT&T directly over what you think they would do.

I had no way to use the service. They said it would freeze the account. I was about 6 months into the contract at the time. They said I could freeze the account while I saved for a full price phone or obtained one. It would not have shortened the contract, just postponed it. Once the account was reactivated the clock would pick back up with the 18 months remaining. During that time they told me I would have no monthly fee and no penalties. But, I had to confirm the phone was stolen and complete an affidavit to that effect. I ended up getting an old phone from a family member the next day, so I never did it. But, I was very explicit and specific in my questions. This was a few years ago. But, I would imagine forcing people to pay for service that cannot possibly use is more of a headache with more potential for complaints than letting people postpone their obligation. It's not a permanent way out of paying them, but the kind of person selling a phone and reporting it stolen the next day isn't the long-term type of thinker anyway.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
you're forgiven. I work for at&t and can confirm this isn't true. you must have had a new employee speaking to you. they're not forcing you to pay.. you signed a contract stating that you would pay.

now please stop with with this nonsense before people get ideas about trying to cut down their monthly bills.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
I have to back this up as well. Unless the policy changed and they didn't tell anyone. They will still charge you 9.99 a month

Wayne Tech Nexus
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
no policy changes from what I know. I work for the company and something like this would be huge news. I'm pretty sure he just got misinformed by a new hire. just wanted to put it out there for readers to see.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
There are many that work for the company and a few store managers as well. ;)

Wayne Tech Nexus
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Yze:
yep!
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] quarlow:
Fair enough. It wouldn't be the first time an AT&T employee tried to explain something to me that they didn't understand themselves. I though you were just speculating.

I wasn't trying to suggest anyone try that to get out of their bill, just providing an alternative reason for falsely reporting a stolen phone. Everyone went straight to insurance fraud.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
AT&T sucks.. so does T-Mobile they are by far the worst customer service group... most of the time its someone who just repeats back every single thing you say after you said it and asks "correct?". >;V makes me want to tear my head off
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Slade8525:
ok so you want to tear your head off, correct?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Lmfao!
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Slade8525:
glad the police are taking this guy down, and that you did not do anything foolish. well handled, hope it all works out for you.
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] kurdish11:
Thank you! I have no idea what he is being charged with though. The police didn't tell me?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] tigerphil:
I've had the same problem, also know how to change imei but knew it was illegal but I asked at a local police station and phone shop if there was a loop hole. They both asked for the proof of purchase, the police told me aslong as I own the phone with the imei I plan to use and that both phones are not in use at the same time then it was ok to do it, I'm guessing thats so if the phone is ever tracked by police they dont get 2 seperate signals/locations. The phone shop told me its not advised due to the risk of damaging the phone but if I was to do it then all warranty is void. I'm stil sat with a blacklisted s4 as the imei I could use is now my sons phone which is in daily use
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
They are VERY wrong. They only people that have the right to do it is the OEM and that was set by the FCC. Local cops know nothing of communication law as they don't enforce it.

Wayne Tech Nexus
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] tigerphil:
I'm glad I haven't messed with mine yet then. I've spent the past 2 weeks trying to find ways of removing the blacklist without interfering with my sons phone. The big let down was the person that sold me the phone showed me it working via video call, shipped it after a paid £100 deposit so I can confirm it working before I paid the remainding £280. The phone worked great for about 2-3weeks then lost all connection etc, thats when I realised the phone had obviously been reported and locked down, tried contacting the seller since and no replies and the number is never switched on
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] movielover76:
Just use eBay for phone selling / buying you pay a little more but you don't have to deal with this bs, cl is too shady
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] tigerphil:
Even ebay can be just as bad, thats where mine came from. I've sent the seller numerous msgs, tried calling and no replies at all. Started a dispute via paypal and the seller has responded to them saying that I must have done something to the phone after recieving it but if rooting can blacklist a phone then thats a new 1 on me as that is the only thing I did soon as recieving it and even then it was stil working for a while before it got blacklisted
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] movielover76:
That's really bad luck, I've been using eBay for years for phones and never once ran into that, did the sellers have a decent feedback rating?
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] tigerphil:
I've sold the odd phone on there but always in full working order but just my luck that I end up getting a dodgy deal. The seller did have a good over 100 feedback and the phone was £350, told myself not to spend less than that knowing how much the phones worth but hoping to get it resolved otherwise I'll have to relist it as bad imei and hope it goes abroad although I have had someone ask if they can buy it for spares for £250 so its nearly enough to get the nexus 4 to play about with and still left with a working s4 aswell
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] zelendel:
The only way this can be done would be to change the imei which is illegal.

Bat cave One
[AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin] Midiman57:
I presume you are not an adherent to the "crack heads never learn," philosophy.

That said, we should still try to educate them.