Blacklisted Galaxy S5 bought from pawn shop.

CaveDweller

CaveDweller

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,946
Name
Paul
Edit My Images
Yes
Found out today that my Galaxy S5 has been blacklisted by Tmobile due to the previous owner not paying the bill. It's now rendered useless. I bought it 6months ago from a well known pawn shop because it was cheaper than going through my insurance when I snapped my original S5 from my own contract. 6months down the line Tmobile must have found this phone and blocked it. I can still use it for all the apps and music, but making calls/texts is impossible. Looks like it will be a permanent fixture of my car now for music...

Is this something that the shop could have checked out before taking in the phone by using some sort of pin number (can't remember what one)?

Serves me right for being tight I suppose :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
What network did you want to use it on?

Can you not call T mobile and tell them the situation.
 
mattyg said:
What network did you want to use it on?

Can you not call T mobile and tell them the situation.
Click to expand...

My contract is with Virgin because I have loads of other stuff with them and got a good deal. I bought the S5 unlocked. Phoning T-mobile is something I didn't think of to be honest, might be worth a try, thank you.

Sharky said:
They could of used http://www.checkmend.com/uk/ or similar service but if T-mobile have only just flagged it i doubt it would of recorded at the time.
Click to expand...

Cheers. I suppose it depends how soon from starting their contract whether it flagged up or not. They might have handed it in for a quick bit of cash, or even stolen it. All I know is I'm now stuck with a nice paper weight lol

I explained what happened to Virgin and they have given me a reduced price through my insurance for a new one. I'll get it tomorrow(y)
 
basically the provider in this case T-mobile has blocked the IMEI. (International Mobile Equipment [station] Inventory) - they have bricked your phone! It can be undone by changing the number, however is highly illegal and will result in jail time so I don't recommend it.

Telephone companies can undo it legally, however they can be a pain in the ar$e to do this, and can be awkward about it, however persist and they can, especially if there is a genuine reason.

It should work as a phone abroad if there is a corresponding network
 
boliston said:
It would have been reported LOST/STOLEN if IMEI blocked - non payment of bill would result in LOSS OF SERVICE and would not affect the hardware.
Click to expand...
Loss of service is all I have. I've taken my sim out for my new phone coming tomorrow and using the bricked S5 as an mp3 player for the car lol. The phone still works, just can;t call or text.

Lynton said:
basically the provider in this case T-mobile has blocked the IMEI. (International Mobile Equipment [station] Inventory) - they have bricked your phone! It can be undone by changing the number, however is highly illegal and will result in jail time so I don't recommend it.

Telephone companies can undo it legally, however they can be a pain in the ar$e to do this, and can be awkward about it, however persist and they can, especially if there is a genuine reason.

It should work as a phone abroad if there is a corresponding network
Click to expand...
That's what my local phone repairer said and he also said with today's technology I'd soon get caught.
 
CaveDweller said:
Loss of service is all I have. I've taken my sim out for my new phone coming tomorrow and using the bricked S5 as an mp3 player for the car lol. The phone still works, just can;t call or text.
Click to expand...

Have you been back to the shop? I know CEX say they will replace any handset that is blacklisted that they supply (the retailers really have no way of knowing a phone might be blacklisted 6 months down the line, so it's a risk they take by selling second hand phones).
 
CaveDweller said:
Loss of service is all I have. I've taken my sim out for my new phone coming tomorrow and using the bricked S5 as an mp3 player for the car lol. The phone still works, just can;t call or text.......
Click to expand...

"loss of service" will only affect the SIM CARD linked to the contract where payment was in arrears - it should not affect the hardware as when you take out a handset "on contract" you own the hardware outright from the outset regardless of the state of your account.
 
Lynton said:
basically the provider in this case T-mobile has blocked the IMEI. (International Mobile Equipment [station] Inventory) - they have bricked your phone! It can be undone by changing the number, however is highly illegal and will result in jail time so I don't recommend it.

Telephone companies can undo it legally, however they can be a pain in the ar$e to do this, and can be awkward about it, however persist and they can, especially if there is a genuine reason.

It should work as a phone abroad if there is a corresponding network
Click to expand...
Why is it illegal to undo the blocking if you do not owe the money or have not stolen the phone? is it statutory law,civil or what?
 
How I understand it (& supported by Martin Lewis) is that the phone plays no part in the contract which is why using the right wording all networks will unlock you phone (it is you phone not theirs).
If the phone imei has been blocked that would suggest it is stolen.
You could take it back to shop and ask for a foc exchange
 
shapeshifter said:
Why is it illegal to undo the blocking if you do not owe the money or have not stolen the phone? is it statutory law,civil or what?
Click to expand...

It's against the law, specifically The Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002.

Unblocking mobile phones is a criminal offence and carries custodial sentences. It is even an offence to simply offer to unblock or reprogram a phone. The legislation is detailed below:

Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002
The Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002 made provisions to prevent the re-programming of mobile telephones this involves changing the 'unique device identifier' which is the international equipment identification (IMEI ) number - i.e. the unique serial number of the phone.

1(1) A person commits an offence if:

  • he changes a unique device identifier,
  • he interferes with the operation of a unique device identifier,
  • he offers or agrees to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier, or
  • he offers or agrees to arrange for another person to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier.
1(2) A unique device identifier is an electronic equipment identifier which is unique to a mobile wireless communications device.

1(3) But a person does not commit an offence under this section if:

  • he is the manufacturer of the device, or
  • he does the act mentioned in subsection (1) with the written consent of the manufacturer of the device.
Click to expand...
 
CaveDweller said:
Loss of service is all I have. I've taken my sim out for my new phone coming tomorrow and using the bricked S5 as an mp3 player for the car lol. The phone still works, just can;t call or text.


That's what my local phone repairer said and he also said with today's technology I'd soon get caught.
Click to expand...

yep and have to answer some awkward questions, and then share a cell with "Big Dave" playing mummies and daddies! Best thing is to speak to provider and see what they can do..(don't take "nothing" for an answer)
 
It's got nothing to do with the provider. You'll just be wasting your time trying to do battle with them. Take it back to the supplier, they are dealing in stolen goods and if they don't immediately give you a full refund or replacement then go to the Police.
 
boliston said:
"loss of service" will only affect the SIM CARD linked to the contract where payment was in arrears - it should not affect the hardware as when you take out a handset "on contract" you own the hardware outright from the outset regardless of the state of your account.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought when I found out the handset was blacklisted. I wondered how the [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] they managed to do it with my own sim card in. The actual phone works fine, I can put my sim card in, use mobile data and use everything on the phone possible apart from call and text. My supplier did a search on the phones pin number and it came up as the handset was black listed.

I explained it to my neighbour in general chit chat and he said his contract has two separate payments, one for the phone and one for the sim card, perhaps that's what this person had who had this phone before me.

2blue4u said:
It's got nothing to do with the provider. You'll just be wasting your time trying to do battle with them. Take it back to the supplier, they are dealing in stolen goods and if they don't immediately give you a full refund or replacement then go to the Police.
Click to expand...

I will be going back, but I'm trying to get clued up about the situation before I go in and make myself look like a tit lol. I'm getting a new phone today anyway through my own insurance but it's the fact they sold me a dodgy device.
 
The shop I bought it from is a customer of Checkmend that Sharky linked above. It probably didn't flag up at the time so I shouldn't have a problem with a return.
 
CaveDweller said:
That's what I thought when I found out the handset was blacklisted. I wondered how the f*** they managed to do it with my own sim card in. The actual phone works fine, I can put my sim card in, use mobile data and use everything on the phone possible apart from call and text. My supplier did a search on the phones pin number and it came up as the handset was black listed.

I explained it to my neighbour in general chit chat and he said his contract has two separate payments, one for the phone and one for the sim card, perhaps that's what this person had who had this phone before me.
Click to expand...

A blacklisted phone would have "no service" (calls, text, OR mobile data) - are you sure it's not pulling data via wifi rather than via 3g/4g?

The original provider can cancel ongoing service to avoid further debt being accrued by the original contract holder but when you buy a handset on contract you own it outright from day 1 and are free to sell it straight away so a network cannot block an handset for non payment - they can only chase it as a civil debt. They can only block it if it was obtained via fraudulent means (eg using someone else's identity) or it was reported lost or stolen.
 
Last edited:
boliston said:
A blacklisted phone would have "no service" (calls, text, OR mobile data) - are you sure it's not pulling data via wifi rather than via 3g/4g?

The original provider can cancel ongoing service to avoid further debt being accrued by the original contract holder but when you buy a handset on contract you own it outright from day 1 and are free to sell it straight away so a network cannot block an handset for non payment - they can only chase it as a civil debt. They can only block it if it was obtained via fraudulent means (eg using someone else's identity) or it was reported lost or stolen.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I have no idea about this kind of thing. It was definitely by mobile data (3G at the time) because I had wifi turned off. It will not receive or send either calls or texts. As soon as I dial a number it ends the call before the dial tone and says "conditional call forwarding active". When you ring my number is says "calls to this number can not be connected at this time".

When I rung my service provider they found it was blacklisted my T-mobile.
 
This is fairly straightforward. Every handset has a unique IMEI number, in addition to your unique SIM card. The IMEI number is read when attempting to join a network. Networks have a shared blacklist of stolen IMEI numbers of handsets and these will not be able to join the networks regardless of the SIM being used.
It's done so that stolen phones are worthless (you could probably use overseas as they don't necessarily all use the same blacklist).
Yes, it is possible to change IMEI numbers but as this encourages mugging and phone theft it was made a criminal offence carrying up to five years imprisonment a while back.

TL;DR - you've bought a stolen phone. Take it back where you got out from and get a refund, or report to the police
 
landwomble said:
This is fairly straightforward. Every handset has a unique IMEI number, in addition to your unique SIM card. The IMEI number is read when attempting to join a network. Networks have a shared blacklist of stolen IMEI numbers of handsets and these will not be able to join the networks regardless of the SIM being used.
It's done so that stolen phones are worthless (you could probably use overseas as they don't necessarily all use the same blacklist).
Yes, it is possible to change IMEI numbers but as this encourages mugging and phone theft it was made a criminal offence carrying up to five years imprisonment a while back.

TL;DR - you've bought a stolen phone. Take it back where you got out from and get a refund, or report to the police
Click to expand...

Result! Went back to the shop today, they did a few checks and gave me a full refund. Also my new S5 has arrived since only ordering it yesterday noon through my insurance with Virgin (y)
 
Re-programming more commonly known as unblocking is an illegal activity and not to be confused with unlocking.

When it is first made each phone is allocated a unique electronic serial number, which will generally stay with the phone for its working life. When a lost or stolen phone is blocked the phone is prevented from working.

Each time you use a mobile phone the signal is checked against a database of blocked numbers. If the database recognises your phone as having been blocked it won’t allow it to work.

When a mobile phone is “unblocked” unscrupulous individuals change the IMEI number and make it work again. This practice is illegal and only the manufacturers are allowed to alter it.

Unblocking mobile phones is a criminal offence and carries custodial sentences. It is even an offence to simply offer to unblock or reprogram a phone. The legislation is detailed below:

Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002
The Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002 made provisions to prevent the re-programming of mobile telephones this involves changing the 'unique device identifier' which is the international equipment identification (IMEI ) number - i.e. the unique serial number of the phone.

1(1) A person commits an offence if:

  • he changes a unique device identifier,
  • he interferes with the operation of a unique device identifier,
  • he offers or agrees to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier, or
  • he offers or agrees to arrange for another person to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier.
1(2) A unique device identifier is an electronic equipment identifier which is unique to a mobile wireless communications device.

1(3) But a person does not commit an offence under this section if:

  • he is the manufacturer of the device, or
  • he does the act mentioned in subsection (1) with the written consent of the manufacturer of the device.
Notes:

  • See also section 2 which provides offences relating to the possession and supply of articles to be used for re-programming.
  • Section 62 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 increased the categories of persons committing offences under section 1 of the Act. Some of the offences contained within section 1 are not dependent on re-programming actually taking place.
Section 2 of the Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002 provides offences relating to the possession or supply of equipment for reprogramming mobile telephones:

2(1) A person commits an offence if:

  • he has in his custody or under his control anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier and
  • he intends to use the thing unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(2) A person commits an offence if:

  • he supplies anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier, and
  • he knows or believes that the person to whom the thing is supplied intends to use it unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(3) A person commits an offence if:

  • he offers to supply anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier, and
  • he knows or believes that the person to whom the thing is offered intends if it is supplied to him to use it unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(4) A unique device identifier is an electronic equipment identifier which is unique to a mobile wireless communications device.

2(5) A thing is used by a person unlawfully for a purpose if in using it for that purpose he commits an offence under section 1.
Steve Smith said:
That seems a bit unbelievable!!


Steve.
Click to expand...
 
Lynton said:
Re-programming more commonly known as unblocking is an illegal activity and not to be confused with unlocking.

When it is first made each phone is allocated a unique electronic serial number, which will generally stay with the phone for its working life. When a lost or stolen phone is blocked the phone is prevented from working.

Each time you use a mobile phone the signal is checked against a database of blocked numbers. If the database recognises your phone as having been blocked it won’t allow it to work.

When a mobile phone is “unblocked” unscrupulous individuals change the IMEI number and make it work again. This practice is illegal and only the manufacturers are allowed to alter it.

Unblocking mobile phones is a criminal offence and carries custodial sentences. It is even an offence to simply offer to unblock or reprogram a phone. The legislation is detailed below:

Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002
The Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002 made provisions to prevent the re-programming of mobile telephones this involves changing the 'unique device identifier' which is the international equipment identification (IMEI ) number - i.e. the unique serial number of the phone.

1(1) A person commits an offence if:

  • he changes a unique device identifier,
  • he interferes with the operation of a unique device identifier,
  • he offers or agrees to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier, or
  • he offers or agrees to arrange for another person to change, or interfere with the operation of, a unique device identifier.
1(2) A unique device identifier is an electronic equipment identifier which is unique to a mobile wireless communications device.

1(3) But a person does not commit an offence under this section if:

  • he is the manufacturer of the device, or
  • he does the act mentioned in subsection (1) with the written consent of the manufacturer of the device.
Notes:

  • See also section 2 which provides offences relating to the possession and supply of articles to be used for re-programming.
  • Section 62 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 increased the categories of persons committing offences under section 1 of the Act. Some of the offences contained within section 1 are not dependent on re-programming actually taking place.
Section 2 of the Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming) Act 2002 provides offences relating to the possession or supply of equipment for reprogramming mobile telephones:

2(1) A person commits an offence if:

  • he has in his custody or under his control anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier and
  • he intends to use the thing unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(2) A person commits an offence if:

  • he supplies anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier, and
  • he knows or believes that the person to whom the thing is supplied intends to use it unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(3) A person commits an offence if:

  • he offers to supply anything which may be used for the purpose of changing or interfering with the operation of a unique device identifier, and
  • he knows or believes that the person to whom the thing is offered intends if it is supplied to him to use it unlawfully for that purpose or to allow it to be used unlawfully for that purpose.
2(4) A unique device identifier is an electronic equipment identifier which is unique to a mobile wireless communications device.

2(5) A thing is used by a person unlawfully for a purpose if in using it for that purpose he commits an offence under section 1.
Click to expand...

so if Dodgy dave from the dog and duck unblocks your phone for you but doesnt tell you exactly what he's doing (so you don't fall foul of 1(1) d ) then he commits an offence buy you don't - result :lol:
 
big soft moose said:
so if Dodgy dave from the dog and duck unblocks your phone for you but doesnt tell you exactly what he's doing (so you don't fall foul of 1(1) d ) then he commits an offence buy you don't - result :LOL:
Click to expand...

Other than you being in possession of stolen property, I suppose not.
 
Dave1 said:
Other than you being in possession of stolen property, I suppose not.
Click to expand...

If you bought it in good faith from a pawnshop I doubt you'd get done for receiving tbh (I'm not seriously suggesting anyone go that route btw - I'm just saying that it seems unlikely that everyone whos had a phone unblocked is going to go to jail..)
 
big soft moose said:
If you bought it in good faith from a pawnshop I doubt you'd get done for receiving tbh (I'm not seriously suggesting anyone go that route btw - I'm just saying that it seems unlikely that everyone whos had a phone unblocked is going to go to jail..)
Click to expand...

True, I remember when the law came in (I was working for T-Mobile at the time) somebody commented that it would be possible to take a suitcase of phones to France or the Netherlands on the ferry, change the IMEIs and then return with them and the law hadn't been broken.

IIRC the law was brought in in a hurry and as a bit of a media publicity event to stop the gangs mugging people for their phones (which often seems to make for bad law). I doubt the law has done much to curb phone theft, the majority of blacklisted phones have almost always gone abroad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top