iPhone 5 - How can I know if Imei will be clean forever?

itzmemike · Feb 26, 2013

Hello,
I'm trying to buy an used near new iphone 5 from my local city, and i've notice that many people been doing many fraud about selling their iphone 5 then report it either to apple/their carrier saying the iphone is lost as they've already sold the phone and received the cash so they're not scared to report it then whoever purchase the phone will get their phone locked. So I wanted to know if im buying an used phone from my local city, what in their phone setting or anywhere can i check that the phone imei will be safe forever? even after i purchase it, before the phone can be clean at the moment of purchasing, but after purchase maybe after a month or week or days later they report it, then I'm done as IMEI clean at the moment is easy but forever i just can't find an way to figure this one. Please if anyone can help it be best appreciated.

Applejuiced · Feb 26, 2013

Many times is not the seller that blacklists the phone but the owner that lost it and reports it stolen a few days later.
The thief/finderkeeper then sells it fast on CL while it still works and gets quick money before it gets locked.

itzmemike · Feb 26, 2013

but an seller can still backlist/block the iphone he's currently selling, he can just wait til he sold it, and report it right after. I mean problem is that at the time being of him selling it to me, i can see that imei is fresh/clean but after purchase, the story can change.

Kyotoma · Feb 26, 2013

Wash it regularly.

Seriously though. The only way to be absolutely sure would be to purchase a brand new one.

617aircav · Feb 26, 2013

You can't. Just hope that the seller is not a dishonest person. Nothing you can do. Of the 40+ phones I've bought off craigslist only one, an iPhone 5 had a bad imei. I was however able to unlock it and sell it to a friend in the UK for a profit. Close call. I still buy phones on CL but wont buy iPhone 5 again.

itzmemike · Feb 26, 2013

Thats is the main issue too thats exactly the phone im getting. I was actually never worried about this until i heard the rumor recently. Ok put it like this, what if my iphone 5 really turns out to be bad imei after purchase, and is good imei on purchase. What can i do to fix this bad imei back to good imei or there no way to use the bad imei phone forever/life?

Applejuiced · Feb 26, 2013

itzmemike said:
but an seller can still backlist/block the iphone he's currently selling, he can just wait til he sold it, and report it right after. I mean problem is that at the time being of him selling it to me, i can see that imei is fresh/clean but after purchase, the story can change.

True, I dont see why one would do that besides to be a jerk. But offcourse he can do it if he wants.
But I heard factory unlocked gsm iphones cant be blacklisted in the US since they are not locked or belong to any network to begin with. CDMA devices are a different story.

itzmemike said:
Ok put it like this, what if my iphone 5 really turns out to be bad imei after purchase, and is good imei on purchase. What can i do to fix this bad imei back to good imei or there no way to use the bad imei phone forever/life?

There's no way you can fix it after its blacklisted.
It wont work with any US carrier once blacklisted but will function outside the US with international carriers.

itzmemike · Feb 26, 2013

Applejuiced said:
True, I dont see why one would do that besides to be a jerk. But offcourse he can do it if he wants.
But I heard factory unlocked gsm iphones cant be blacklisted in the US since they are not locked or belong to any network to begin with. CDMA devices are a different story.

There's no way you can fix it after its blacklisted.
It wont work with any US carrier once blacklisted but will function outside the US with international carriers.

According to your 1st answer above, i feel hope, as CL have bunch of factory unlocked iphone, from sprint, at&t , verizon. By the way what is gsm or cdma iphone 5 so i make sure i get the gsm, and how can i tell?

Is there any big company where i can confirm with this? where factory unlocked ones can't be backlisted or locked

braddick · Feb 26, 2013

Applejuiced said:
True, I dont see why one would do that besides to be a jerk. But offcourse he can do it if he wants.
But I heard factory unlocked gsm iphones cant be blacklisted in the US since they are not locked or belong to any network to begin with. CDMA devices are a different story.

There's no way you can fix it after its blacklisted.
It won't work with any US carrier once blacklisted but will function outside the US with international carriers.

Is that accurate? I thought non-corporate Cricket carriers will flash the iPhone allowing it to then work on their network.

Applejuiced · Feb 26, 2013

itzmemike said:
According to your 1st answer above, i feel hope, as CL have bunch of factory unlocked iphone, from sprint, at&t , verizon. By the way what is gsm or cdma iphone 5 so i make sure i get the gsm, and how can i tell?

Is there any big company where i can confirm with this? where factory unlocked ones can't be backlisted or locked

There is no factory unlocked verizon or sprint iphones. Those are CDMA iphones. Find out the difference between cdma and GSM networks before you go any further.
So make sure you get the GSM unlocked iphone 5 or AT&T unlocked iphone 5.
The verizon iphone 5 can also be used on any gsm carrier but it wont get LTE on any North American providers. Just 3G service.

braddick said:
Is that accurate? I thought non-corporate Cricket carriers will flash the iPhone allowing it to then work on their network.

Verizon and Sprint only iphones can be flashed to cricket or MetroPCS but you will not be able to get any carrier data on them. Can be used for calls and texts but data via wifi only.
You cant flash a GSM iphone to cricket, metro or any other cdma provider.

itzmemike · Feb 26, 2013

Applejuiced said:
There is no factory unlocked verizon or sprint iphones. Those are CDMA iphones. Find out the difference between cdma and GSM networks before you go any further.
So make sure you get the GSM unlocked iphone 5 or AT&T unlocked iphone 5.
The verizon iphone 5 can also be used on any gsm carrier but it wont get LTE on any North American providers. Just 3G service.

Verizon and Sprint only iphones can be flashed to cricket or MetroPCS but you will not be able to get any carrier data on them. Can be used for calls and texts but data via wifi only.
You cant flash a GSM iphone to cricket, metro or any other cdma provider.

Thats weird, i have bunch of people on CL posting up posts like factory unlock verizon, factory unlock sprint, and i see website that have unlock services for verizon & sprint. But anyway how can i tell if the iphone 5 is AT&T as I will go for the AT&T version.

if i can tell the differences between AT&T and the other 2 CDMA carrier, then maybe i can call AT&T and ask them if factory unlocked iphone 5 can't be unlocked? and any website recommendation that are accurate at telling if the iphone 5 is factory unlocked or just normal unlocked? and the carriers as normal unlock will go back to lock device after resetting.

Applejuiced · Feb 26, 2013

itzmemike said:
Thats weird, i have bunch of people on CL posting up posts like factory unlock verizon, factory unlock sprint, and i see website that have unlock services for verizon & sprint. But anyway how can i tell if the iphone 5 is AT&T as I will go for the AT&T version.

You will see all kinds of crazy things on CL but you have to educate yourself and not trust just anything someone posts up

Cause if you do and you give them your money good luck trying to find them and try to return it

An AT&T iphone 5 will display Model A1428 on the back plate near the bottom and will work and make calls with any AT&T sim you put inside.
Make sure they dont try to sell you a cdma iphone with a gevey adapter to unlock it cause that is not a factory unlocked iphone and if you ever update the iphone firmware the unlock will be gone for good and you will be stuck with a useless iphone.

Even if the AT&T iphone 5 is locked to AT&T you can purchase an IMEI unlock for it for $2.
Then it will forever be unlocked and AT&T will not be able to lock it or blacklist it once its unlocked and out of their database.

takeshi74 · Feb 27, 2013

itzmemike said:
Thats weird, i have bunch of people on CL posting up posts like factory unlock verizon, factory unlock sprint, and i see website that have unlock services for verizon & sprint.

Factory unlocked and unlocking services are two entirely different things.

Details on the factory unlocked 5's are available on Apple's site.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone5

The unlocked iPhone only works on supported GSM networks, such as AT&T in the U.S. When you travel internationally, you can also use a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5 from a local GSM carrier. The unlocked iPhone 5 is model A1428. For details on LTE support see http://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE. The unlocked iPhone will not work with CDMA carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint. Learn more about the unlocked iPhone

scaredpoet · Feb 27, 2013

itzmemike said:
Thats weird, i have bunch of people on CL posting up posts like factory unlock verizon, factory unlock sprint, and i see website that have unlock services for verizon & sprint.

So, let me get this straight: You don't trust iPhone sellers on CraigsList because you think many of them will allegedly sell iPhones that they own legit, then report it stolen after they've taken your money, rendering the phone useless to both you AND them, purely for the lulz, I guess.

BUT you will totally trust that people on Craigslist selling "factory unlocks" for Verizon and Sprint iPhones are being completely truthful and honest about why they're taking your money.

Seems legit.

chakraj · Feb 27, 2013

Just wash it once a week, and hang it up when your not using it and it should stay clean for a long time. Oh and if it gets dirty here is a trick, a little dab of tooth paste and a clean micro fiber cloth should fix it back up.

itzmemike · Feb 27, 2013

I actually found out an way of working this out. But i just need to find out if there is any website or way of telling if the device is attached to the carrier plans, like if im getting an AT&T factory unlocked iphone, i just need to find out if there is any contracts or plans attached to the device, if there is no that means they can't report it as lost or stolen as it needs to be reported through their carrier and the phone must be attached.

Where is the gevey adaptor located at so i know if its an AT&T or not.

617aircav · Feb 27, 2013

itzmemike said:
I actually found out an way of working this out. But i just need to find out if there is any website or way of telling if the device is attached to the carrier plans, like if im getting an AT&T factory unlocked iphone, i just need to find out if there is any contracts or plans attached to the device, if there is no that means they can't report it as lost or stolen as it needs to be reported through their carrier and the phone must be attached.

Where is the gevey adaptor located at so i know if its an AT&T or not.

Not true. People have bought phones that worked for a month and then became blacklisted.

----------

Remember not all phones are blacklisted because of theft. Some are blacklisted due to not paying your phone bill.

Ste Nova · Feb 27, 2013

scaredpoet said:
So, let me get this straight: You don't trust iPhone sellers on CraigsList because you think many of them will allegedly sell iPhones that they own legit, then report it stolen after they've taken your money, rendering the phone useless to both you AND them, purely for the lulz, I guess.

its not useless to them.... they are making an insurance claim

itzmemike · Feb 27, 2013

So my only hope is to look for an AT&T factory unlocked iphone 5 as it can't be block/backlisted as mentioned by "Applejuiced"

Applejuiced · Feb 27, 2013

itzmemike said:
Where is the gevey adaptor located at so i know if its an AT&T or not.

The gevey unlock adapter goes inside the sim tray along with your sim card.
Looks like this below:

ucfgrad93 · Feb 27, 2013

Kyotoma said:
Seriously though. The only way to be absolutely sure would be to purchase a brand new one.

Yep, this is the only way to be sure someone doesn't scam you.

lucasfer899 · Feb 27, 2013

Applejuiced said:
The gevey unlock adapter goes inside the sim tray along with your sim card.
Looks like this below:

Image

Hold up, how on earth does that work?!

itjw · Feb 27, 2013

How much is the peace of mind worth to you? $100? $200?

If you want it, buy a new one. Otherwise there is always a RISK of the phone being blacklisted by the original owner, and there is absolutely NOTHING you can do to protect yourself except hope it never happens.

It's the price you pay for not ponying up for a brand new device. It's unlikely to ever happen, but you are buying something from someone else, and probably someone else you don't know.

Spend the $$$ and you won't have to worry.

C DM · Feb 27, 2013

617aircav said:
Not true. People have bought phones that worked for a month and then became blacklisted.

----------

Remember not all phones are blacklisted because of theft. Some are blacklisted due to not paying your phone bill.

Phones are generally blacklisted just by carriers, if someone was to try to blacklist a phone, they would need to have it active on their account, and if you have it active on yours, then no one else can have it active on theirs, and thus can't blacklist it.

If a carrier blacklists a phone for someone simply by request without any confirmation that they in fact own it and have it as part of their account, then it sounds like it's a bad/incorrect practice of the carrier (or at least the representative that would do it) rather than anything else.

itzmemike · Feb 27, 2013

C DM said:
Phones are generally blacklisted just by carriers, if someone was to try to blacklist a phone, they would need to have it active on their account, and if you have it active on yours, then no one else can have it active on theirs, and thus can't blacklist it.

If a carrier blacklists a phone for someone simply by request without any confirmation that they in fact own it and have it as part of their account, then it sounds like it's a bad/incorrect practice of the carrier (or at least the representative that would do it) rather than anything else.

@ cdm that's what i mean, if we're able to find out if any carrier is attached to the phone, then we'll be able to tell if the phone will ever have an chance of being blacklisted or not, but i called AT&T and they're not willing to release any private information of if the current iphone is ever registered with AT&T or attached to AT&T.

Also i called t-mobile and AT&T and confirmed finally that even factory unlocked phones, once blocked/backlisted, the iphone will be lock for every single unlocked carrier not just AT&T, so i guess the factory unlocked iphone 5 option wouldn't work neither.

iPhone 5 - How can I know if Imei will be clean forever?

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