Stolen iPhone

[bbshotgun]

I had an iPhone stolen and I reported it to AT&T, I am assuming this means the SIM has been disabled. If someone finds it, will they be able to put in a new SIM, if they have AT&T and will I be notified or will they be stopped from activating? I'm not sure if AT&T can do anything about preventing future use of my phone. I don't mind, as long as it isn't on my line.

[youngjm · Accepted solution]

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bbshotgun wrote:

I had an iPhone stolen and I reported it to AT&T, I am assuming this means the SIM has been disabled. If someone finds it, will they be able to put in a new SIM, if they have AT&T and will I be notified or will they be stopped from activating? I'm not sure if AT&T can do anything about preventing future use of my phone. I don't mind, as long as it isn't on my line.

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Your sim should have been deactivated and no ATT will not stop someone else from using it with their own SIM.

[bbshotgun]

Any particular reason why? I assume its due to my own stupidity it was stolen and therefore remains available for use. I mean if your car is stolen you don't blame BMW. I know there aren't blacklists and I also assume its for the same reason.

[WhiteTiger686]

but you cant take a REPORTED stolen BMW into a dealer and ask for the services that AT&T will offer on a stolen phone. Not only offer, but HAPPY to get a new customer.

[dwill05]

So BMW dealers, and car repair places in general, actually check the VIN of every car that comes in for service against a stolen car database?

[BadBadLeroyBrown]

There is no uniform blacklist for GSM phones in place in America. That's why. Unless the FCC mandates that the cell phone companies start doing this, I don't predict it'll happen. Also, the carriers over in the UK didn't do such a great job with IMEI blacklisting, so I believe the British police force now handles the task.

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bbshotgun wrote:
Any particular reason why? I assume its due to my own stupidity it was stolen and therefore remains available for use. I mean if your car is stolen you don't blame BMW. I know there aren't blacklists and I also assume its for the same reason.

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[wingrider01]

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BadBadLeroyBrown wrote:

There is no uniform blacklist for GSM phones in place in America. That's why. Unless the FCC mandates that the cell phone companies start doing this, I don't predict it'll happen. Also, the carriers over in the UK didn't do such a great job with IMEI blacklisting, so I believe the British police force now handles the task.

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bbshotgun wrote:
Any particular reason why? I assume its due to my own stupidity it was stolen and therefore remains available for use. I mean if your car is stolen you don't blame BMW. I know there aren't blacklists and I also assume its for the same reason.

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they do, but it still does not stop it, the phone can be shipped to another country in europe and activated with no problems, then ther is the cloning techniques that are available if you know where to look that will allow the phone to be activated with no issues. Blacklists and blocks don;t work very well either, there will always be a way around it. There is a huge market in Europe for stolen / lost phones

[oguinnch]

I'm not sure about that because my son bought a phone from a friend of his and when he put his SIM card in it, it quit working.  When I called AT&T about it they said there was a problem with the IMEI number on phone and couldn't activate it until we could fax copy of receipt or other proof of where the phone came from.  He actually took phone back to his friend, I don't know where the friend got the phone but I do know AT&T wouldn't activate it at all.

It was not a iphone either it was actually a cheap phone, I  do believe if you reported it they match the IMEI number on the phone before activating.

[TeeJay53]

NOT SO!  I got the word from the local ATT store, and then verified with the 1-800-331-500 that anybody take a stolen Phone into a California ATT store and start up an account on the stolen phone, even while the original customer is paying the contract on the stolen phone.  There's nothing to stop them.  In fact. it seems to be encouraged.  The ATT customer service people are sorry, they understand, but that's just what the company policy insists on.

[TeeJay53]

Confirmed again with a customer supervisor named Mika {Personal content removed for safety}  ATT will set up accounts for stolen phones, no problem.  I don't think he sees anything wrong with it.  At least the others agreed it was wrong.