Change IMEI number
October 25th, 2010 | 
Author: Changing IMEI number is problematic in most countries, because it is in conflict with the law. It is the same as if you wanted to change the serial number of your car. If they catch you doing this you can go to jail.
With older phones it was easier than with new phones because new phones have better security and also one time programable chips. As you can read on some forums, some people change the phones motherboard instead of programing chips.
For changing IMEI you also need professional equipment and a lot of knowledge.
Why to change IMEI number then?
There are different reasons for IMEI changing:
- to delete tracks about stolen or lost phone (this reason is used mostly )
- to delete tracks about phone manufacturer and model
- for researching
- other reasons
How can manufacturers prevent IMEI changing?
Actualy there is no 100% security just as all other problematic things on the world. Manufacturers can do their best but still you can change chip and reprogram it if you have the same knowledge as manufacturers employees.
Database
How to check if phone is stolen or lost?
You can call mobile operators in your country and ask for IMEI number or you can also check the database of Stolen, lost and found mobile phones.
Tips when buying used mobile phone
You can also read some tips when buying used mobile phone on this link
http://www.squidoo.com/tips-for-buying-used-mobile-phone
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hi I want to change my IMEI no so ple tell me what type of procedure for changing IMEI no pls ply ……….
Hello,
we do not offer IMEI number change. In most countries it is against the law. On most devices it is not possible to change it with software only. You should avoid changing IMEI number.
Kind regards
is it possible to delete IMEI no using JAF. because it seems that i can detect my IMEI no in JAF bt now it can’t detect any more bt when i press *#06# its still there. so will u please tell me that i have deleted the IMEI or not
thank you very much
You need to check this with JAF support.
Hi what is the software that you need to change the IMEI number please and thankyou
Hello,
we do not offer IMEI change and we do not know which software can change it. We are sure that new phones have higher security which prevent easy IMEI changes.
Regards
WE SHOULD HAVE THE ABILITIES TO CHANES THE IMEI NUMBER JUST LIKE ANYONE CAN CHANGE A PHONE NUMBER BECAUS EOF THE OF HARASSING SITUATION AND PRIVACY ISSUSE AND TIME WE CAN DO THIS WITHOUT DOING ANYONE HARM .
Hi,
Would i be correct in saying that when i send my phone for repair the second time and they type in the IMEI number to require the proof of purchase and it comes up with a different name that is obviously not mine, it would be because either they gave me the wrong persons phone or they can change the IMEI number?
I am really confused and feel like im being stuffed around.
i would really appreciate someone helping me out.
could you email me on shantelle.hodgkinson92@hotmail.com
Hi Shantelle,
it is hard to say anything about this case. I am sure that mistakes are possible and I know that no case is excluded.
It could also happen that your phone came with different IMEI in the box when you bought it.
Check with them again and find the best possible solution.
Regards
Hi , I have a similar situation. I bought an HTC Desire HD (in Germany) after being heavily persuaded away from the IPhone. I dont like the phone at all, and have barely used it. Then I decided to resell the thing, for half price, since its still practically new anyways. A girl came to buy it, and now a few weeks later, wrote to me that the IMEI number in the phone is not the same as the one on the phone, and it is an illegal deal. I actually purchased the phone from o2 in one of the shops. Not sure who to believe — and what to think. Did o2 actually sell me a phone with a different number on the receipt as on the phone? if so what does this mean? or has this girl taken the phone and changed the IMEI number, and what does that mean? Any advice you can give me would be very helpful, since I never even heard of IMEI number until yesterday, thank you
Hello Ty,
this could be a lot of possible scenarios.
1.) Person put a wrong stick on the box while packaging
2.) O2 person gave you wrong box (I doubt about this as they usualy work with BAR code reader in shops)
3.) O2 person changed the phone on the desk if there were multiple identical phones on the desk
4.) Buyer of your phone made some illegal stuff or had phone in service centre or unlocking it and the guys changed something in the phone but did not tell anybody
5.) Buyer changed this phone with some stolen and want to bring it back to you to get money back and keep phone which is regular
6.) Buyer want some money back from you and keep this phone
7.) and there could be also more cases but we don’t remember any other…
Solution in this case could be that the buyer had all chances to check the details of the phone while bought it and you are not responsible what happened in those few weeks.
Another solution: If you want, you can also refund money and sleep like a good man.
There is no special things in our view to do.
Regards
Thank you very much for the response, and some insight in the “con” that could be going on. I have both of the imei numbers now (I never thought to look before selling her the phone) , but I don’t think returning the money will necessarily let me to sleep like a good man. There is already an issue at stake here, which I am in the middle. If the error was in the O2 shop, which I am inclined to believe, then maybe that is fine. I call them tomorrow, give them the other IMEI number and maybe it was an honest mistake, somehow they change in their system, and then the girl is fine. But I don’t understand, what advantage there is to either changing the imei number on the phone I gave her, or her trying to return to me a similar phone but stolen phone with a different imei. What can she do? if she can do something, then shouldn’t i at least inform o2, because if I give her the money back and take a stolen phone, then she has my good phone and I guess can somehow use that, with my imei number on it?
on the other side, if the problem was in the o2 shop, would she need the imei number on the receipt to match the one on the phone? in theory I think its always a good idea to have a valid receipt, but what good is that for her, since the phone is a bit more than 6 months old anyways. Also, would the imei number have an effect on her ability to use the phone with a different service provider? I just can’t see what the “angle” is here?
Thanks for you input,
Ty
Those are only possible options. We don’t like to say that she is guilty. Maybe she wanted only to unlock the phone and the guys in service center killed her/your phone and changed motherboard in the phone to not recognize that something is wrong.
Maybe you should ask her how it came that she checked IMEI. If you didn’t know about IMEI, she also should not know about it… why did she need to check it? Further steps are of course to call O2 and check with them.
Possible scenario about mentioned option 5 is that there could be a group which is handling lost or stolen phones and now she want to give you one of them and keep your regular one for her own because she can copy documents and use it with different operator/service provider.
There are many options and ways in such cases.
You can start from your operator.
Ive got a strange issue, ive lost my phone and it is insured called to stop sim etc and they rekon ive not used phone since may and I’ve put sim in different phone, I am on contract and have been with same provider for 15 years, all phoned are obtained via upgrades I have no other phones neither have I used another phone. The insurance is deliberating. How could this be? Could a system upgrade change anything as this is all that has changed?
Hello Claire,
we do not have access and lookup in their systems. For same reason we are not able to reply correct answer. Anyway, every mobile operator and insurance company has their own strategy and procedures in such cases.
Regards
hi
my previous phone imei “353662014842546″ and turned into “12345601654321?”
how to make it normal again?
thx
Hello,
it would be nice if you specify more details:
and then we can maybe find a solution.
i HAVE SAME PROBLEM. tOOK IT TO SERVICE PROVIDER AND WHEN RETURNED, FOUND THIS PROBLEM AND NOW HE ASKS FOR MORE CHARGES..tHANKS IN ADVANCE
As we do not know the details it is hard to say but anyway you need to check with your service provider where you left the phone.
Hi.I face the same problem.My handset is Nokia 5130 express music.its turn IMEI number into 123456789.. Now local mechanic say that its have to change imei & buy a new imei.so i want to buy a new IMEI & run my handset with new IMEI..can You Help Me in This case??
We do not change or sell IMEIs. Your IMEI seems to be corrupted or changed or something. You should ask for IMEI repair at official NOKIA service center.
Hi! How change imei on Nokia C5.00.
Hello Vova,
on new phones it is hard to change IMEI and in most countries this is illegal. We do not have any information about such thing and we do not offer such services.
Regards
Dear sir,
Just for knowledge sake, i would like to know few things,
1.Why is it not advisable to reveal the IMEI number in any website or to anyone?
2.What can (most devastative) thing that an illegal person can do with other people’s IMEI number?
3.There are billions of mobile phone in the world today, and an IMEI number is only of 15 digits, How infinife permutation(combinations) of just 15 digits can be unique for billions of mobile phones? i mean how the uniqueness of the an IMEI number is maintained?
I shall eagerly wait for your reply,
regards,
Jojo
Hello jojo,
1. I am not really sure, but people are suspicious and careful about such information just as giving their bank account number to anybody.
2. He/She can use your IMEI while changing its own stolen IMEI because he/she knows that this IMEI is valid and should have no problem using it
3. Just as you said… there are a lot of IMEIs but if you see one which is valid then this one is used rather then one which is guessed. There is also algorithm which checks if check digit is correct and then you know if IMEI is fake or not. Try yours with IMEI validation tool on our site in menu.
Regards
Thank You…
With regards to question 3 – 15 digits offer 10^15 possible combina
tions of numbers. Or1000000000000000 or 1 million billion numbers. That means theoretically every single person in the world could have 100000 phones before they might consider adding another digit to the imei code
Thnk you
hi
my name is sam,my phone is drown in water and spoiled. so i thought of applying insurance by saying that i lost my phone and i did but they rejected.
now i dont know what to do. pls tell me what to do.
You have nothing to do here.
i’ve just bought a new original phone.. then i check imei number is not same with sticker imei at the back of this phone.is it true that seller of this phone cheating on me and actually particular in this phone have changes with other one not original??
If you bought it from local dealer or online shop, then it could be that you bought clone of desired this phone.
Example: iPhone is maybe not iPhone but iPhone clone
There are several possibilities. Do not take this argument as 100%.
hiiiii buddy could u please help me all the possible ways to track stolen cell phones ..
Unfortunately we do not provide such service, because we do not have access to operaters databases and do not own equipment for tracking.
i just stole someones phone….how do i change imei number?
…..joking
Maybe you should go to police station and describe this problem
i buyed a new fone and its not picking up any sim when i tried finding IMEI no. by *#06# then it was wriittten IMEI:Invalid
can u plz tell now what to doo
Ask the seller how to solve your problem.
hi….i have a samsung galaxy s2 skyrocket which a family member bought for me when he was in new york..i live in trinidad and it is impossible to return the phone….my problem is i had my phone rooted and i was using an app called busybox….i downloaded busybox pro and installed it and decided to uninstall busybox,i did and it wiped out everyting even my imei number when i pressed *#06# it said IMEI null/null..and i need it to unlock the phone…the technicians in my country cant recover it..help me please,how can i get it back..
This has nothing to do with us. Unfortunately we are not technical support.
ifi change the imei no , is there any chances of geting mobile dead or unusable …. plzz plzz repl my qyeries…thanxxxx
It could be very easily dead if you try to change your IMEI.
Hi, how does one detect if an imei number has been spoofed? Thanks.
There is no general and 100% way. We suggest to call the operators in your country and ask if they have this IMEI on any black list, grey list etc… Also you can check the internet websites.
hi I want to change my IMEI no so ple tell me what type of procedure for changing IMEI no pls ply
Hi, changing IMEI number can be illegal and process is different for different brands. We do not change the IMEI and also do not know exact procedure. You should check this with local service store.
Hi, I just got my phone back from repairs and they said they updated my phone when it was in for keyboard repairs. They said they wiped my phone and some things would be different. The bottom of the blackberry now says telus where it used to say rogers and there is an email saying “thank you for purchasing the blackberry 9700″ from telus. The IMEI sticker number is different than the IMEI number in the phone. Is there any chance they can change the sticker in the phone to another ? There is also random downloaded applications that i have never downloaded which furthers my suspicion that it is NOT my phone
It could easily happen that you phone is changed and given some other. It could also happen that they somehow “killed” your phone and gave you other one. If you press *#06# and you see different IMEI from yours, then something is wrong, but as you said… something is wrong for sure. Check with the repair center.
if we change a phones software to a new one, will its IMEI number change or not…??????????????????????//
It should not change in this case, but you never know what can it bring with update.
I have an iphone 3gs isit impossible to change the imei numbers?? An can it be done with ziphone
We do not have any information about changing IMEI on Iphone or any other device. If you need answer from experts, you can ask on mobile tech forums.
I was robbed of my Galaxy SII. I had activated the SIM card change alert, Lookout tracker… really I had taken precautions that I thought were needed. Been trying to track the phone ever since, with no luck. I think I must now turn to IMEI tracking. Can you help?
We do not have any equipment for IMEI tracking nor access to operators databases.