Is this right?

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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I just got this email from a friend in Colombia...they know a lot about thievery down there...and I think we have talked about this here. JIC, here it is again:
Cuando te roban un celular sabemos que recuperarlo es casi imposible los ladrones los reciclan r?pidamente.
La experiencia es muy desagradable, pero las compa??as operadoras
(Movistar, Comcel, Tigo etc. )
reemplazan inmediatamente el tel?fono.
Sin embargo existe algo muy interesante deben conocer es una especie de venganza en el caso que alguna vez les roben el celular.
Todos los celulares GSM (o sea los que tienen chip, ojo esto no sirve para los Obsoletos CDMA)
tienen un registro de serie ?nico, que se llama CODIGO IMEI.
Las compa??as (Movistar, Comcel, Tigo etc) no lo tienen registrado.
S?lo ustedes los due?os del aparato pueden acceder al c?digo.
Para obtenerlo marquen *# 0 6 # (asterisco-michi-cero-seis-michi). Nada m?s, NO PRESIONEN 'SEND'
En la pantalla aparece el c?digo IMEI.
Ap?ntenlo y gu?rdenlo en un lugar seguro (agenda electr?nica,PC, etc.).

Si les roban el celular llaman al operador y le dan este c?digo.
El celular ser? bloqueado completamente y aunque el ladr?n cambie la tarjeta SIM o chip,no podr? encenderlo. Probablemente no recuperen su celular; pero por lo menos tendr?n la seguridad de que quien lo haya robado no podr? utilizarlo nunca.

Si toda la gente supiera esto, el robo de celulares disminuir?a porque ser?a in?til.

Env?en este dato a todos sus amigos y conocidos.Comencemos a circularlo y anoten su C?digo IMEI en un lugar seguro.



What this says is that if a cell phone is stolen, there is almost no chance of ever getting it back (unless you own a cell phone store--ha ha) so, as a way to get some vengance you use the IMEI number that is unique to each cell phone.

All the cell companies can block this unique number, but they do not have it...?? seems strange that they would not have it, doesn't it? Anyway, each person can find out his/her cell phone's IMEI number by pressing the following

*#06# Do not pres send.

At least on my two phones, it did come up and I put it on a file, just in case...

Supposedly, if the apparatus is stolen and the company has the IMEI number it can be blocked and changing chips won't do any good...

I am sure that some of the local gurus and techies will have something to say about this.


Of course if this is right and everyone did it, the value of a stolen cell phone would be nearly zero...hummmm, hope this is not a legend.

HB
 

caribmike

Gold
Jul 9, 2009
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I checked it right away, it comes out a 15 digit number on my razr (old model), if they are so, it works.
 

beeza

Silver
Nov 2, 2006
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That is if the cellphone networks are interested. I believe that it works in Europe. Once the IMEI has been registered as stolen, the phone is as good as a chocolate teapot.

Here however, the phone companies don't make a huge amount of profit on the handsets, it's airtime that rakes in the millions. So as long as someone has the means to rack up airtime on their network, they don't care where the phone comes from.

Also, if they were interested in helping to fight crime, they could actually track the whereabouts of a stolen phone with triangulation of signal strengths. In fact there is an application on my phone that does it, and it is remarkably accurate.
 

SteveS

Member
Apr 15, 2008
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That is if the cellphone networks are interested. I believe that it works in Europe. Once the IMEI has been registered as stolen, the phone is as good as a chocolate teapot.

Here however, the phone companies don't make a huge amount of profit on the handsets, it's airtime that rakes in the millions. So as long as someone has the means to rack up airtime on their network, they don't care where the phone comes from.

Also, if they were interested in helping to fight crime, they could actually track the whereabouts of a stolen phone with triangulation of signal strengths. In fact there is an application on my phone that does it, and it is remarkably accurate.

The networks in most cases go out of pocket on the handset, and recoup it through usage and tariff. It makes them a loss, its just bait for a customer.
 

Conchman

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Jul 3, 2002
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www.oceanworld.net
You mean you can triangulate the location of a caller, from your phone? What does it do, point you in the North-South-West-East direction or give you a GPS coordinate? that would be a cool gimmick.
 

margaret

Bronze
Aug 9, 2006
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Some networks have the number if they sell you the phone. Then you report it stolen and they blacklist within the network. I think it can be blacklisted within the Orange network. I don't know if they can get around it in the DR but the phone can be unlocked outside the network in another country. They can change the code (although it's illegal).

UnlockMe - Blacklist & Barred & Blocked. Your Mobile Blacklisted?
 

Simon & Nicky

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Feb 3, 2004
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But how do they know it's you?

They would have to have recorded the number when they sold you the 'phone, otherwise you could "block" innocent numbers by pretending to be another person and "borrowing" their 'phone.

Consequently, surely all the 'phone companies already have a record of the number....
 
Feb 7, 2007
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The operators in the DR make LOTS of money on selling handsets. The units they sell with Plan (e.g. open Max plan with 300 minutes) has roughly the same cost as the unlocked phone bought on Amazon, and in many cases Amazon is even cheaper, even counting shipping and EPS.
 

pedrochemical

Silver
Aug 22, 2008
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They would have to have recorded the number when they sold you the 'phone, otherwise you could "block" innocent numbers by pretending to be another person and "borrowing" their 'phone.

Consequently, surely all the 'phone companies already have a record of the number....


If you take a random number of 15 digits (less if the number is in HEX) it is very unlikely to be a phone IMEI number.
Even with 6 billion handsets in circulation, it would be around 167,000 to 1 to hit an actual IMEI number.

Phone cards work on the same principle.

Just read what you actually wrote!!
If they knew your IMEI number it would be a bummer - yes!
If you are the rightful owner then you will have some proof of purchase. You could get un-blacklisted.
And when I say rightful owner, that does not mean just the last person to buy the phone!!
 
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Beads

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May 21, 2006
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I dont know how it works in the DR 100% but in the states "most" cellphone companies do share blacklisted IMEI information so a stolen phone can easily be blacklisted if the person who has had their phone stolen reports it. Also the cellphone companies have all the the IMEI number because their network uses it to track the usage of your phone.

So the DR phone companies do have access to IMEI numbers.

As far as changing the IMEI numbers this is VERY possible for someone to do with quite a large number of phones.The more expensive the phone the more people are interested in changing IMEI numbers because the phone has more value.

I dont know what the laws are regarding modifying IMEI numbers in the DR but in the US it is very illegal to do and can get you in serious trouble if your caught.

A cheap phone doesnt normally generate enough interest in both stealing it and trying to make it work for the thief or the person who purchases the stolen phone.

I have had a friend who purchased a Claro phone which was stolen several years ago and when he went back to the store (which was inside the Sosua supermarket) they asked to see his passport and pulled up his information and told him they were blacklisting the phone. Who know what happened from then but he never did get his phone back.

Also whenever I have gotten an Orange phone card for an unlocked phone one of the requirements on the paperwork I filled out was to provide them with the serial number and IMEI number of the phone I planned on using the card with.

So Orange definitely has this information on file someplace. I couldnt say if they actually do adhere to not activating stolen phones but it is definitely within their power to do so. The only way to really test it would be to activate a phone and declare it stolen, get it blacklisted, then try to reactivate. This could get you in trouble so its not something I would try myself.