How to know if the phone you want to buy, whether new or used, has been stolen or not
Buying a used or used cell phone is a good option to get a good phone at a lower price than the original one. However, you should take a series of precautions before doing so, as you could end up with a stolen cell phone in your hands.
There is a very simple process that you can perform to find out if your next mobile phone that you want to buy is stolen or not. Obviously, no one wants to be scammed when buying a device with such features, and no one wants to lose money when buying such a thing. Therefore, it is better to check the source of the mobile phone before proceeding to buy it. Let's see how to do it.
When you may search the internet, you may find used phones that look perfect, but to avoid getting into illegal trouble if it is confirmed to be stolen, it is better to check the authenticity and legitimacy of the device before purchasing it.
Although you might think that this is a rather complicated matter, it is not, because there is a procedure that allows you to access a database through which you can check whether the phone you are going to buy has been stolen or not.
It is a database of international numbering plans specialized in numbering plans related to telecommunications around the world. This organization has many free services for personal and online use, among which is consulting the IMEI number of a mobile phone to see if it appears in the blacklists of stolen phones.
To verify legitimacy through IMEI, you will obviously need the IMEI of the phone you are going to buy. If you do not have prior access to the smartphone itself, you should ask the seller for documentation to verify this information. In case the seller is trustworthy, he will agree to give you the IMEI number without any problem.
Once you have the IMEI number of the mobile phone you are going to buy, you should follow these steps to check if it has been stolen or not:
- Enter International Numbering Plans via the following link:
Enter the IMEI number of the mobile phone you are going to buy in the text field and click "analyse.”.
- International numbering plans will tell you in a few seconds whether everything is correct or not. As you can see in the following screenshot, the website confirmed that the IMEI we entered appears to be correct, but it does not contain any information about the specific phone. If you want, you can add the information manually so that it appears in the database.
In case the mobile phone you are going to buy is stolen, the site will immediately inform you to confirm that the phone's condition is incorrect. Thus, you can avoid such a purchase and escape from future problems.
Remember that it is always important to buy from trusted used stores, which have reviews from many users, and they send you all the smartphone documentation without any hassle. So you can buy your next mobile phone and enjoy it with complete peace of mind.