Buying a second-hand mobile is a great option when you are on a low budget but there is always the risk of purchasing a stolen or lost handset. With an Australia Blacklist IMEI Check utility, all risks are evaporated.
- But is blacklist IMEI Checking only useful before buying a used handset?
- A smartphone gets blacklisted only when it is reported as stolen or lost?
- Will you be able to SIM unlock a blacklisted iPhone or Android phone?
The answers are coming.
Australia Blacklist IMEI Check Guide 2018
I remember the first time I was scammed into buying a stolen iPhone from eBay. I spent so much trying to unlock it but everything I did was wrong and useless.
An Australia Blacklist IMEI Checker will save you from buying a blacklisted phone but most importantly show you how to network unlock it successfully.
I really hope that you are reading this post before you have to deal with a blacklisted phone device. But if you already did then you should follow my advice before trying to Carrier unlock it.
Why a mobile gets blacklisted
There are 4 blacklisting reasons
- When a mobile is reported as lost or stolen to a Cellular Network by the original owner
- When there are unpaid contract bills to a Mobile Network
- When the cell phone is flagged as replaced
- When the handset was purchased illegally or it was involved in fraudulent activities
What happens to a blacklisted handset
A blacklisted cell phone will be banned from all Carrier inside the country it was blacklisted. Some countries share their blacklist IMEI databases but fortunately, Australia is not one of them (I will explain more later).
No calls can be made with a blacklisted phone
What is Australia Blacklist IMEI Check process?
Every mobile has a unique 14-16 digit number which is called International Mobile Equipment Identity number or IMEI in short.
Sometimes the IMEI number is displayed on the backside of the phone, on or under the battery, on the SIM tray and the original box of purchase.
Don’t forget to ask the refurbished cell phone seller to show you the IMEI number in all possible ways in order to verify IMEI originality.
All IMEI numbers are stored inside GSX and GSMA IMEI databases. When a mobile becomes blacklisted, the IMEI number enters the national Blacklist IMEI Database.
A certified Blacklist IMEI Checker can access these servers and verify:
- If a cell phone is blacklisted or CLEAN
- Which Mobile Network blacklisted the phone
- Why the handset was blacklisted
- In which country it was blacklisted
These four pieces of information are mandatory before SIM Unlocking a blacklisted iPhone or Android phone.
Best Australia Blacklist IMEI Check providers
Many visitors ask me about free IMEI Check Blacklist tools.
In general, IMEI lookup is a paid service because an official IMEI Check company must pay for entering GSM and GSX servers.
But there is an exception for Blacklist IMEI Check in Australia. The Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) offers a free blacklist IMEI Checker but…
The AMTA Blacklist IMEI Check tool will only show you if a phone is lost or stolen. It’s free but are you willing to take the risk of buying a barred mobile (pending contract bills), a replaced or illegal device?
You should get a third-party Blacklist IMEI Check Service to be completely safe.
Is Australia Blacklist IMEI Checking enough?
In my opinion, knowing the blacklist status of a cell phone is imperfect.
- Do you know if the mobile is SIM locked?
- A lost or stolen iPhone will be 99% iCloud Locked.
- An Android phone might be Google Smart Locked
- If there is an active contract with a previous owner then there always the danger of blacklisting, even after you bought it. Or stop paying his bills.
- If there is an active Warranty, the original owner holds the right to make an Insurance Claim, flag your cell phone as replaced and blacklist it
- There are illegal Carrier Unlock solutions that can be accomplished by hardware replacement in Mobile Repair Shops. After a while, the fraud is uncovered through the IMEI databases and the handset becomes blacklisted as replaced. You should really know if the IMEI number was replaced (the hardware replacement changes the IMEI of a device) because you could purchase a seemingly ok phone and then see it getting blacklisted.
These issues and many more can be prevented with an Australia Full IMEI Check.
I hope you’ve found this post useful. Leave a comment below with your questions and opinions on the matter. Until next time, take care!
