Buying a brand new iPhone nowadays can be expensive and costly for most people. If you’re not on the A Class and basically buying a brand new iPhone means a hole in your pocket then the best option would be to look for a second hand iPhone unit.

The thought of buying a second hand iPhone is economical and practical.

We need, however, to check if the iPhone is stolen before handing out our hard earned money to the second hand phone seller. A lot of iPhones are being sold online on sites such as Olx.ph and buying online creates the danger of accepting a stolen iPhone thereby throwing your money down the drain.

The best option for a person seeking out to but a second hand iPhone and avoid the danger of buying a stolen unit would be to go to a second-hand phone dealer particularly in Greenhills and check to see if the iPhone is stolen.

Here are a few steps on how to check if iPhone is stolen which one needs to take when deciding to buy a second-hand iPhone in order to avoid getting duped into buying an iPhone that was reported as stolen.

When mobile equipment is stolen or lost the owner can typically contact their local operator with a request that it should be blocked.

If the local operator possesses an Equipment Identity Register (EIR), it then will put the device IMEI into it, and can optionally communicate this to the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which blacklists the device in all other operator switches that use the CEIR.

With this blacklisting in place the device is bricked and becomes unusable on any operator that uses the CEIR, making theft of mobile equipment a useless business proposition, unless for parts.

Remember, a fool won’t exist if we don’t allow ourselves to get fooled!

Here are the steps to take to check if the iPhone is stolen or not.

1.) Get the iPhone’s IMEI number

Tap the Settings icon on the iPhone’s home screen, tap General and then select About. Scroll down to the bottom part and copy the number being displayed on the IMEI field.

or

Tap the phone application to open the dial pad on the screen. Dial *#06#. Copy the IMEI being displayed.

2.) Visit the blacklist site

Open your browser and enter the site http://www.iphone-unlockme.com/LostorStolen.htm.

Enter the IMEI number and check the status of the iPhone you intend to purchase.

The site will then validate your IMEI number to check to see if the iPhone is stolen. A report will then be given as to the status and result of the IMEI check.

If the Status indicates “Available” then you can then rest your mind at ease as the iPhone is not a stolen unit.

3.) Ask the seller or owner to disable Find My iPhone

Ask the seller of the iPhone to access Find My iPhone and use its feature to erase the data on the iPhone so that its cleared and the Activation Lock status will change to OFF.

Accessing Find My iPhone requires that the owner enters the password of the Apple ID connected with the iPhone. If the current “owner” of the iPhone cannot do so, it’s possible that the device is stolen.

4.) Call the mobile phone company or the nearest branch of Apple

Since the iPhone is a product of Apple, one of the best ways to check to see if the iPhone is stolen is to visit the nearest

Apple store and give them the IMEI to see if the iPhone you’re planning to buy or have bought is a stolen unit.

5.) Checking Activation Lock Status

Go to Apple’s Activation Lock Status website http://www.icloud.com/activationlock.

Type the IMEI or Serial Number into the box

Enter the CAPTCHA code displayed

Click Continue.

The next screen will tell you whether the iPhone has its Activation Lock feature enabled.

What the Results Mean

If Activation Lock is turned off, you’re in the clear.

If Activation Lock is on, though, a couple of things may be going on:

a.) The Phone Is Stolen

– An iPhone being sold with Activation Lock still enabled could mean that the device is stolen, since a thief probably won’t be able to disable Activation Lock. Ask the seller to disable the feature and check again.

If they refuse or can’t do it, don’t buy that phone.

b.) The Seller Forgot to Turn Off Activation Lock

– It’s possible that an honest seller has forgotten to turn off Activation Lock. Ask them to disable the feature.

If they do, you’re OK to buy.

When buying a used iPhone, make sure to ask for the IMEI or Serial Number before you buy and use this tool to check the device’s status. It will save you money and frustration.

Limitations of The Tool

This tool isn’t connected to any police systems, so it doesn’t cross-reference police reports of stolen devices.

This checks Activation Lock status only.

If you’re iPhone is running on iOs 6 or lower, it won’t work as this feature works with iOs 7.

Essentially, these are the steps to check to see if your iPhone is stolen or not,.

Source by Noli Ano