What are the chances of recovering a phone through IMEI?

[dryphoon]

Hi guys, need your help with this question of mine.

Apparently, I have lost an iPhone 3Gs, (yeah, you know, it's really expensive), but luckily I'm able to remember my IMEI Number, and reported it to the Police. And the iPhone itself is Password-Locked.

However, a striking question had hit me- how high are the chances of getting a phone back through IMEI? And do you have any suggestions to increase the chances of getting the phone back?

It's a really expensive phone, and I'm sure most people would probably use it instead of selling it to a 2nd-hand shop.

Since my iPhone would be Password-Locked, I assume that most likely it would be sent for repair or to even (very unlikely) be sold. Do you think the Shop Owners/Repairmen will check on the IMEI Number? Is it even supposed to be an SOP (Standard Operating Procedures)? Thanks a lot for taking your time! =)

Dryphoon

[durain]

most country, changing the imei is illegal. your telco will block the fone via the imei but that doesnt stop it from being use elsewhere outside singapore.

btw, is there any visible contact on your fone? so even if someone found it, can they contact you? in my lifetime, i have found a couple of fones but if there's no way of contacting the owner, i cant return them.

statistically, the chance of you getting back your fone is ultra low.

[dryphoon]

Yeap, most likely could be. Well, I only pray that some guy would send it for repair, and then the repairman would check on the IMEI... blah blah blah. Well, that would be the best scenario in my opinion.

[ksl]

Yeap, most likely could be. Well, I only pray that some guy would send it for repair, and then the repairman would check on the IMEI... blah blah blah. Well, that would be the best scenario in my opinion.

Don't forget to make a police report! You have a slim chance of getting it back if a police report is made.

[dryphoon]

It's already made on the Friday, 2 weeks ago. Sigh. Just have to wait for a miracle.

[ksl]

It's already made on the Friday, 2 weeks ago. Sigh. Just have to wait for a miracle.

It should be easy to trace, however I would ask the police, how they go about doing it, do they contact the communication providers.

If not maybe you could talk with Singtel, starhub and the others, to inform the police when someone puts in a sim card.

I'm not convinced that communication between the police and communication providers is functional, who really cares at these service centres, so its better to try and chase it up if at all possible!

[rattlesnake]

Can it be done? - Yes it can.

Will the police ask for it and the carrier do it - that is the harder question.

They should in theory be ably to identify the sim card (IMSI) which is used with the IMEI. The sim can be tracked to a person so in theory you can identify who is using your phone.

[wcs]

This is a bit late for you, but there is the Mobile ME service from Apple. One of the features there is locating a lost phone; using the GPS and google maps, it shows you were the phone is. You can also send a message to the screen about how to contact you.

http://www.apple.com/mobileme/whats-new/

I think labelling stuff makes a lot of sense though I have not done it myself. However when I met a friend for dinner recently, we ate at a food court, then she was wanting to get to an exhibition so jumped up, and I ran off after her.

Two MRT stations and some walking later she gets a call. Turns out she left her laptop on the chair at the food court. A lady had seen us there, seen the bright coloured laptop case, then saw we were gone, but just thought we were "Choping" the seat!

After a while she realised we were not coming back. She opened the laptop cover; no label! Took out the laptop; no label! Opened the laptop; no password! The laptop springs to life and open on the screen is my friend's grant application complete with name and phone number!

This lovely woman then gave my friend a call and we went racing back to get it.

She is so so lucky. I still cannot believe how fortunate she was. I have to label my stuff before I get complacent again! :">

[missis]

That's a nice story. Hope she gave her a reward!

[durain]

yeah, i always put a sticky label with alternative fone number and email contact inside the battery cover on the mobile fone.

[Splatted]

Hope you get your phone back.

A lot of stolen phones end up overseas in countries where IMEI blocking isn't really enforced.

Do make a police report. Occasionally the police do hit the "mother lode" and raid the homes of people dealing in stolen goods. If you have made a report, it would be relatively easy for the police to return stolen property to the rightful owner.

Actually there are software now available for download where you can infect a person's phone (or your own phone), and be able to listen in when the phone is getting used, or even track the whereabouts.

They demonstrated it on an australian current affairs show, how people have been spying on their spouses to find out if they've been cheating on themn etc. As soon as a phone call is received or made on the infected phone, the software sms's another phone informing the eavesdropper there's phone activity, and the eavesdropper simply dials the phone number and listens in undetected.