Imei

[Vintendo]

Hey, I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand factory unlocked 4s as a 2nd phone for festivals and such. It will be on PAYG, obviously the insurance scam is still around, so is there any way I'd be able to transfer the IMEI number into my name so that this doesn't happen?

 

[dictoresno]

which carrier? what country?

as long as the phone isnt reported stolen, just pop your SIM card in and the phone should automatically register on the network and the IMEI will be associated with your account. no need to manually transfer it.

 

[Vintendo]

It'll be on 3 in the UK, not sure what it's on now though

Does that work with Pay as you go? - bit of a noob, sorry

And that's the exact insurance scam I was referring to - someone will sell you the phone then claim on their insurance that the phone is lost/stolen and have your money and a new phone, whilst yours gets blocked

 

[dictoresno]

It'll be on 3 in the UK, not sure what it's on now though

Does that work with Pay as you go? - bit of a noob, sorry

And that's the exact insurance scam I was referring to - someone will sell you the phone then claim on their insurance that the phone is lost/stolen and have your money and a new phone, whilst yours gets blocked

its alot harder in the UK since you guys blacklist IMEI's there. i would suggest making sure you have the sellers proper contact info prior to the sale. i dont know if the phone is compatible with PAYG, thats something you will need to verify. i dont see why not, just drop the SIM into an unlocked phone and go. i would suggest finding out which carrier its locked to now, and meeting the seller there so they can verify the status of their account and phone. if its too fishy or you get a bad vibe from the person, choose to pay for it via paypal so you have some kind of buyer protection or just walk away from the deal.

 

[Applejuiced]

Hey, I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand factory unlocked 4s as a 2nd phone for festivals and such. It will be on PAYG, obviously the insurance scam is still around, so is there any way I'd be able to transfer the IMEI number into my name so that this doesn't happen?

Nope, there's no such thing as transferring the IMEI to your name.
The IMEI stays with the particular phone and if the original owner reports it lost/stolen then there's no much you can do. Don't buy used if you're afraid of that cause you are taking a risk.

 

[Keymass]

Nope, there's no such thing as transferring the IMEI to your name.
The IMEI stays with the particular phone and if the original owner reports it lost/stolen then there's no much you can do. Don't buy used if you're afraid of that cause you are taking a risk.

Yeap. After all IMEI number is a unique 15 digit serial number for every iPhone. If you want to make sure that the seller is giving you the true IMEI number and not a fake one make him/her create a small video showing the iPhone's IMEI number:

1. By dialing *#06# with the iPhone's phone app
2. From iPhone's Settings>General>About
3. via iTunes
4. From the iPhone's back side (if it's iPhone 5 or later)
5. From iPhone's SIM tray (iPhone 4s or older iPhone models)

Of course, always use an IMEI Check service to be exactly sure about the iPhone's Lock status or any other hidden issue