iPhone 11 IMEI Question

[speedstream]

Hello everyone,

My ex partner stole my iPhone when I broke up with her. I had it blacklisted and reported stolen by providing the purchase receipt in my name. I ran into an acquaintance of hers today and she told me she had the IMEI changed and is using it again. How can I verify this has in fact happened and what can I do about it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jav6454]

It's impossible to change an IMEI; it's designed that way. What most likely happened (99%+ sure) is that she purchased a salvage unit from someone and had the internals of that phone replace the casing of your phone.

Edit: Correction, it used to be done via ZiPhone in the 1st Gen iPhone and 3G era. Unsure today.

 

[speedstream]

It's impossible to change an IMEI; it's designed that way. What most likely happened (99%+ sure) is that she purchased a salvage unit from someone and had the internals of that phone replace the casing of your phone.

Hello and thank you for the response.

I called Apple support this evening and spoke to a rep. He said he has seen it done successfully with his own eyes. Unfortunately, he could not elaborate due to Apple policy as calls are often recorded. Off to google I went and did a search. I came across at least seven websits that indicated if you had a clean IMEI from another Iphone the IMEI change can be made. I performed 6 IMEI blacklist searches and four came back as the original iPhone 11 (still blacklisted) and two websites displayed it as an iPhone 6 which I know she had when I met her. So all this really has me scratching my head. I primarily use Android so I'm not to familiar with the iPhone ecosystem. Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[jav6454]

It can be done only by GSMA body authorization; rarely happens and you need highly specialized equipment. However, in many countries it is illegal; check your local laws. If local laws state it is illegal, then report her and let the police handle it.

In the past, I recall ZiPhone (command tool) was a software tool to change IMEI, but that was in the first gen iPhone jailbreak era; unsure if that tool even works now on new models as ZiPhone was coded to the iPhone 3G and 1st Gen. Again, it is illegal to do so in many places and this was ages ago.

 

[iStorm]

It's impossible to change an IMEI; it's designed that way. What most likely happened (99%+ sure) is that she purchased a salvage unit from someone and had the internals of that phone replace the casing of your phone.

It’s getting harder and harder these days to swap parts from a phone. Some components need to be “paired” to the logic board in order for it to work properly (display, Face ID, Touch ID, battery). Only Apple and authorized service providers can re-pair these. Why go through the work to swap all the internals into a different phone housing?

 

[jav6454]

It’s getting harder and harder these days to swap parts from a phone. Some components need to be “paired” to the logic board in order for it to work properly (display, Face ID, Touch ID, battery). Only Apple and authorized service providers can re-pair these. Why go through the work to swap all the internals into a different phone housing?

Which is why you migrate the entire thing to a new casing. Displays/batteries aren't usually paired that inhibit correct function.

 

[speedstream]

This is my dilemma. I contacted law enforcement here in Florida and they need proof the blacklisted phone is now being used again with a different IMEI. This is the challenge how can I get precise accurate information.

 

[jav6454]

This is my dilemma. I contacted law enforcement here in Florida and they need proof the blacklisted phone is now being used again with a different IMEI. This is the challenge how can I get precise accurate information.

I would let it go in all seriousness. The hoops you'd need to jump thru to prove she switched the IMEI are too great. That said, me being me, here is a quick rundown:

You require access to the phone and take a screen shot from the Settings > General > About.

Probably she just swapped the IMEI and left the Serial untouched which means, you can use an original receipt to match Serial to original IMEI and compare that the IMEI has indeed been tampered with. Take screen shot and send that pic to you and show it off to the police; instant proof of fraud.

That'll be enough for an arrest warrant. However, a search for data on the phone will prove difficult given the whole FaceID and TouchID being gray areas legally speaking due to the 5th.

Also Apple no longer etches iPhone seria and IMEI numbers anymore.

 

[speedstream]

Hello, we won't be able to get our hands on the phone but I have the serial number on the Apple receipt. She's wanted by ICE and I want to keep my distance from her. I just hoped to have it blacklisted again. This woman was a financial and emotional home wrecker.

 

[iStorm]

Which is why you migrate the entire thing to a new casing. Displays/batteries aren't usually paired that inhibit correct function.

True Tone doesn’t work on a swapped display, and the battery will say it needs service even if it’s good. Sure, the phone works, but these could be a minor annoyance to some people.

 

[ian87w]

Hello, we won't be able to get our hands on the phone but I have the serial number on the Apple receipt. She's wanted by ICE and I want to keep my distance from her. I just hoped to have it blacklisted again. This woman was a financial and emotional home wrecker.

As long as your SIM card/number, data and account are safe (ie deleted from the phone), I would just let it go. You already did what you could. It’s just a phone.

I would focus more on securing your accounts like email and bank accounts that had the old number associated with the phone. Update them, enable 2FA, change passwords, etc. Put the efforts into securing your data as it’s more valuable than a phone.

 

[jav6454]

Hello, we won't be able to get our hands on the phone but I have the serial number on the Apple receipt. She's wanted by ICE and I want to keep my distance from her. I just hoped to have it blacklisted again. This woman was a financial and emotional home wrecker.

Like I said, it's several things to do to achieve your goal. If I were you, and wanted to keep my distance, I would just forget about it.

True Tone doesn’t work on a swapped display, and the battery will say it needs service even if it’s good. Sure, the phone works, but these could be a minor annoyance to some people.

In this case, given OP's response on their ex-gf, I'd say she doesn't mind.