Refurbished iPhones Assigned New IMEI?

[zainjetha]

Hi

just curious -

Do refurbished iPhones have new serial numbers and IMEI?
Im sure they would as lets say that the iPhone before sold back to Apple for refurbishment was owned by a criminal and that criminal used several SIM cards in order to protect his identity and it was eventually discovered he was a criminal..

THEN

the only way of knowing his identity is by his IMEI as he has several phone numbers used on the iPhone.. and at last the FBI or whatever Police etc begin to track him....

THEN

iPhone is refurbed with same IMEI and then the new owner gets accused of criminal activity and the Police/FBI just think that the criminal has merely changed his SIM again//

this is a WHAT IF scenario... probably very unlikely but just curious...

thanks

ZAIN

 

[senorFunkyPants]

I would imagine virtually all refurbished iphones will have their original IMEI number as these are not software changable.
AIUI the IMEI numbers are burnt onto "One Time Programmable" ROM chips during manufacture and the only way to change the IMEI is to replace the ROM chips which I imagine would be uneconomic.

 

[zainjetha]

and if somehow a persons identity gets linked to the iPhone, lets say by a carrier or whatever do apple take care to inform all networks globally or the association which holds IMEI records to wipe a clean slate??

 

[robhedin]

I would imagine virtually all refurbished iphones will have their original IMEI number as these are not software changable.
AIUI the IMEI numbers are burnt onto "One Time Programmable" ROM chips during manufacture and the only way to change the IMEI is to replace the ROM chips which I imagine would be uneconomic.

Actually, at least for the iPhone this appears no to be the case...

At least ZiPhone claims to be able to change the IMEI... with the caveat that you should do so only for "legitimate purposes".

rob.

 

[senorFunkyPants]

Actually, at least for the iPhone this appears no to be the case...
At least ZiPhone claims to be able to change the IMEI... with the caveat that you should do so only for "legitimate purposes".

Ziphone can only make a software change so that a different IMEI number is presented by the iphone to the network...the original factory programmed IMEI on the ROM chip remains unchanged.

 

[martyrk]

At least ZiPhone claims to be able to change the IMEI... with the caveat that you should do so only for "legitimate purposes".

rob.

Example of a "legitimate purposes"

 

[NeoMayhem]

Example of a "legitimate purposes"

Using an iPhone with a carrier that blocks iPhone IMEIs?