Blacklisted IMEI and Fraud

[KostasLaurinaitis]

Hello,

I am currently living abroad and I want to purchase an iPhone 5. However, it is really hard to purchase a legitimate phone here due to insurance fraud and scams and a lack of supply. Usually the phones you buy here work perfectly, unless you decide to go abroad. This has happened to me once on a holiday. My phone lost signal and after a few e-mails to mobile carriers I found out that the phone was blocked in Scandinavian countries and the UK.

I am looking for a new phone again, and after a looking around and a few IMEI checks I found out that the phones were included in a blacklisted by Vodafone and marked as lost/stolen, meaning they will not work in the UK. Surely, another instance of fraud, as the phones seem to be completely new and in original matching boxes.

I would like to ask if it is possible to remove these phones from the blacklist without having the original proof of purchase, as they are resold in other countries? Or are these blacklisted fraudulent phones lost forever and barred from ever being used in the UK and other countries, which share the blacklist?

[AnnS]

Hello KostasLaurinait

Phones are not blacklisted for no reason, usually when the original owner has reported the phone as lost or stolen or when there has been an insurance claim against the phone and the phone then becomes the property of the insurance company.

The only person who can remove the blacklist is the person who asked for the IMEI block.

If you want to purchase a phone and it is blacklisted, it will be between you and the seller.  For this reason, it is advisable to purchase from a reputable online site or store where there will be some comeback.