hey people i have a question about how to check if my iphone from ebay is stolen?
iPhone 4S, iOS 5.1.1
A carrier may have the IMEI listed as blocked.
http://www.stolen-property.com -- I don't think this is necessaily a definitive list.
Apple does not keep a list of stolen propertly.
The best way to be sure is don't buy an iPhone from eBay. Buy it from an authorized source. The rolex watches the guy on the corner sells may not be stolen... or they may be... or they may be fakes, or they may not run for more than 10 minutes...
If you really don't need the money, I suppose there are some good deals to be had.
I wouldn't worry about it you won't get in trouble for it because you didn't know it was stolen
You might want to check with a solicitor/attorney/lawyer/legal
advisor for your location, judeman111. In many jurisdictions,
the charge is possession of stolen property whether you knew
it was stolen or not. You may not be prosecuted but the property
will be taken from you.
Than why are they asking how to check if it was stolen?
Sound like they have a reasonable suspicion it is, hence a good prosecutor could make a charge stick.
I bought a phone off of Ebay(Samsung). When I brought it to Sprint to activate it, they could tell it was a delinquent account. Either stolen or abandoned. They were going to confiscate (I don't remember how I convinced them not to). I opened a grievance with Ebay and I got my $ back. Not sure if that helps. I will never buy a phone off of Ebay again!
I don't know why the above idiots even bothered to reply to your question man, I'm sorry that they were of no help. There are several ways that you can check out whether a phone was stolen, the easiest is to call your carrier (ATT or whatever) and ask them, ask for the device ID, or ESN from the seller, and then give that number to the carrier, it is a very easy process. Verizon for instance has an automated site,
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/estore/certifieddevice/cd
Which works nicely
Above posters: Advising him not to use eBay, really?!?! Call a lawyer?!?! You have either too much money or too few brain cells, ebay is a reputable place to buy, and using paypal as an added layer of protection is an almost foolproof way to buy a phone online. PayPal places money on hold while you receive and verify the condition of the device, so if they want to be paid, they won't defraud you, and if they do, you'll get your money back.
You've had lots of questions you didn't ask answered on here. I agree with Asylum1111, why did these people bother...
This URL might help. UK, US & EU databases
Don't be scared off eBay because of one bad transaction. Always check the seller's feedback before bidding. Don't just check the feedback number, read a page or two of the feedback first.
No, you will just loose your money
read about a guy who got an email from a police chief a year after he bought an iphone on ebay. he lost his money, ebay said too bad for you, we can't help you. buy from apple, unless it's a old phone, new phones won't be there, unless they are stolen, search for "Thriving black market for Apple iphones and Ipads" it's a whole world of it's own, and those who buy from them feed that market and keep it thriving! my phone was stolen yesterday, I'm going to get a new one from Apple, and password protect it a bit more-... But at least don't enable criminals by buying from ebay, not a new model phone. Who would sell a brand new or brand new model phone at a discount and loose money... ??? or in other words if it sounds too good to be true...
I highly doubt a chief of police would investigate a stolen phone through email. I searched "Thriving black market for Apple iphones and Ipads" and saw no reference to eBay, I agree with Asulum1111. Check with the carrier. I'm sorry your phone got stolen.
Seems like the Carrie would be able to tell ifyou call them and give them the serial number
Too many posters report that the iPhone they bought cheap and second-hand off ebay is jailbroken and we cannot help them fix it.
t least one poster asked Apple for help on a second-hand phone and had "very serious technicians" show up at their house and confiscate the product while informaing the OP they are police tracking stolen property.
Another poster bought a cheap second-hand iPhone which turned out to be reported stolen. The several changes of SIM cards eventually blocked even the OPs original and valid phone number.
Others may say "ignore the grumpy man". I will buy my iPhone (when I need one) from the carrier or from Apple Store.
The only exception to this would be buying an iPhone from a freidn who I was *absolutely* sure did nothing wrong with it.
If a phone is jailbroken, wouldn't the serial number still be there?
how to check if my iphone from ebay is stolen
