Potential bidder asking for IMEI number?

[j_finderskeepers_k]

A potential bidder has just emailed me asking for the IMEI number of the phone I have up for auction. Isn't that the number used to unlock it? Are they checking to see if it's stolen? That's just info you don't need unless you win the auction - which of course they'll find out when they get it anyway.

So why would they want it? Any ideas?

[lightbeyond]

How old is this? I'm sorry, but I really don't think this holds true for modern devices such as iPhones. Do you think all the phones on display in shops get cloned?

And "no restriction on the number of devices using an IMEI"? Seriously?

How exactly does the process of cloning an iPhone by the IMEI work, someone please explain.

[lightbeyond]

...OK, I've found where it says this: http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/apple-iphone-warranty-scam

This sounds like BS to me. For instance "scammers can simply steal the number from other users who have valid or working IMEIs and copy it to the stolen device". Really. Not from my research they can't, it's embedded in the hardware of the GSM chip, in an iPhone for example, which is why iCloud locking works.

[lightbeyond]

...To add - this is like refusing to give out your car registration ("license number") to a potential buyer in case they copy your plates and put them on another vehicle. Yes, this happens occasionally, but everyone's registration is on display all the time, along with millions of others. And it's a bit unreasonable to expect someone to purchase your car without being able to make various checks on it.

[reelize_films]

Bottom line is that eBay is not Craigslist and buyers are in control with refund and feedback. A scammer can use the number to create their own listing and their fake or stolen phone will look good to the person buying that phone based on information they phished from you. So the only foolproof method is to buy a local pickup auction and have the seller turn off iCloud while buyer is watching...
I see both sides of this issue, I understand – but eBay policies protect the buyer in end whether or not you provide these numbers to people you don't know. So if someone with a 0 feedback rating is asking, maybe think twice at least.

[lightbeyond]

Yes, fair point about the zero feedback buyers. I won't sell to those anyway. There are easy ways to build up some feedback and prove your honesty before using Ebay to purchase high value items such as phones.

Having had some recent experience with bad buyers (leaving negative feedback not called for, being abusive) I have to say that my opinion of Ebay's treatment of sellers has improved. I think they may be less buyer-biased than they used to be.

[n8leagr8]

---

@reelize_films wrote:

If may all sound safe... But there is a cloning risk. From Symantec:

Why do scammers need the IMEI number?
A device with a blacklisted IMEI is unusable in that country. There is no restriction on having the same IMEI number for two devices. So, scammers can simply steal the number from other users who have valid or working IMEIs and copy it to the stolen device. Scammers can then use the stolen device or even sell it.

How are scammers stealing IMEIs?
Scammers have been creating phishing sites that make the claim that a free one-year warranty extension for a certain mobile device or devices is available. To obtain the (fake) offer, users are asked to provide their device information, including serial number, IMEI number, type of phone, and so on.

---

That article is dreadfully out-of-date, and not even accurate for the time it was written. However, it does shed some light on how easily misinformation like this is/was spread. The author was simply a Symantec employee, writing for their blog, and the article starts out by addressing an email phishing scam. The author was clearly a bit out of his depth when he ventured into describing phone and IMEI security. Making statements like "there is no restriction on having the same IMEI number on two devices" (there are plenty of restrictions, actually) and "The process to change the IMEI isn't difficult to perform. It can be done by installing some drivers onto a system that is connected to the mobile device through a USB cable". (Oh yeah? "Some drivers"..."a system"...that statement is overly-generalized and incredibly vague. This is the type of statement you make when you want to sound like you know what you're talking about to a group of people who don't have any understanding of what those terms mean.)

Once again, you can give out the IMEI/ESN number of a phone that you're selling - even if you think the phone is beyond repair (maybe just beyond your repair abilities?) - and you won't get scammed. Sellers who withold this information lead buyers to think that THEY might be running a scam - tons of people try to sell bad ESN phones and pass them off as clean, ALL OF THE TIME.

[n8leagr8]

---

@rf4790 wrote:

So - I sold a parts only - not working - irrepairable phone that was dropped in water - and it was acurately described as such on EBAY - and after the sale - the buyer requests the IMEI number - but has not paid for the phone yet. I would not give it to him until he paid for phone - so he is threatening to cancel the purchase. After reading all these posts - I am assuming once he gets the IMEI number - he will NOT pay for the phone anyway - cause they want to clone the number. Am I correct? After all - selling a dead phone is actuall just selling the selling the IMEI number anyway......unless someone can re-use the glass and other parts - am I correct here?

Thanks - Rick

---

No, you will not be scammed and the IMEI number "stolen" if you give it out to the buyer before they pay for the item. They are just wanting to verify that the phone is not blacklisted, and possibly what carriers the phone will work on if they intend to repair it, or use it for parts. However, if the buyer felt that being able to verify the IMEI number was a condition of their completion of the sale, they should have requested it before bidding, and not by holding your payment hostage. They might cancel the payment anyway, even after you give them the IMEI, if they discover the phone won't work on their specific carrier.  

For your safety as a seller, I'd probably recommend allowing them to cancel the sale. When you relist it, post the IMEI/ESN number on your listing, or use an anonymized link like Swappa.com does so that prospective buyers can check it.

[streeem]

Is it safe to send if your phone is broken and only being used for parts?

[timberwolf-125]

I have a question. I just bought a iphone 6s from a person on ebay. Now they have sent me this message.

Hi Larry. You purchased my 128gb iPhone a couple weeks ago. I trust its working great for you!! I have a favor to ask. Turns out I need a picture of the back of the box for proof of purchase with my carrier. Could you take one and send it to me? My cell number is

[timberwolf-125]

This just doesn't sound right to me. They said that they had changed carriers because att didn't work very good after they moved. So why would they need the info off the box.

[timberwolf-125]

I just checked the serial num and imei num on the phone. And the numbers on the box that the phone came in are diff. Does the imei or serial number change after the phone has been activated by another person.

[lightbeyond]

No, the IMEI and serial never change.

Based on the fact that it's different, I don't see the harm in sending the numbers off the box. Perhaps what has happened is that they've given you the box for another phone that they've purchased (maybe because they lost the first one, the correct one for your phone) and now they need that number. It doesn't explain why they can't just get it from their other phone, but if the numbers on yours are different then I don't see how it could be to your detriment to give them the numbers.

[n8leagr8]

---

@timberwolf-125 wrote:
This just doesn't sound right to me. They said that they had changed carriers because att didn't work very good after they moved. So why would they need the info off the box.

---

My guess is, they need the picture for a rebate on a different phone. Most rebate forms require you to either cut out the bar code from the box, or submit a picture of it for proof of purchase. There is no detriment to you (that I can see) for complying with their request.

However, the fact that the seller has sold five different cellphones in the past month, and the fact that they claimed in the description of a different phone (not the one you bought) that it was their personal phone, that they "used for three months, then switched to a different model" calls into question their claim that the phone you bought was also recently theirs.

Perhaps they had to switch phones when they had to switch carriers, and AT&T wouldn't unlock this phone because they hadn't been a customer long enough. No issue there. It's also a possibility that they've sold this phone after receiving it upfront under a two-year payment plan with AT&T, and because they've switched carriers, have no intention of paying off the remainder of the balance. If this is the case, you'll find out when AT&T blacklists the phone, and it suddenly becomes a brick in a month or so.

I truly hope that's not the case. But you might want to call AT&T and verify that the phone you currently possess is not under any type of contract/payment agreement. (There's a chance they may not be able to tell you, for account security reasons, but it's worth trying.)

[reelize_films]

The original phone that came on the box may have been replaced under Apple care warranty if it was dropped or lost. Running an IMEI check on the box might give insight. Also user might need the number to get the new carrier to pay any early termination fee if they offer that incentive...

[lightbeyond]

---

... But you might want to call AT&T and verify that the phone you currently possess is not under any type of contract/payment agreement. (There's a chance they may not be able to tell you, for account security reasons, but it's worth trying.)

---

This is where CheckMend comes in. I run all of my phone purchases through this (hence how I became involved with this thread, after a seller refused to give me the number even after I paid).

I strongly recommend using this or something like it: www.checkmend.com.