So you lost your nokia mobile
And you had thoughtfully saved the mobile’s IMEI number in your mail box(like me). Thanks to N number of email fwds that propogated the myth that if you hold the IMEI number, you key to the phone and can (b)lock it anytime by calling the cell manufacturer. Hehehe. Wake up mate!
Read about a first hand experience here (i promised her to write about this the day she lost her phone and forgot, sorry Fathi)
And if you are still not convinced, read the following excerpts from Nokia’s FAQ.
5. I lost my phone. How do I block the phone to prevent unauthorised use?
Nokia does not have a system to block the phone. However if you were to provide us the phone’s IMEI number, we can alert the Authorised Service Centres about the lost phone. You are also advised to make a police report.
Now, thats a FAQ way of saying, “Lost your phone?, we could not care less!!”
And dont be in a hurry to blame the e-mail forwards you get for free.
Ankit Fadia has come up with a book “An ethical guide to hacking mobile phones“. He has done his best to propogate this IMEI myth atleast with regard to Nokia.
Chapter 3, Page 152 of his book clearly states “When a particular mobile phone device is stolen or lost, then the IMEI number is used to block it to prevent ilegal usage”
I think i’m better of reading e-mail forwards, atleast thats a free, harmless timepass rather than crap from some of these self-proclaimed hacking experts who make truckloads of money in the process!
September 21st, 2006 at 8:49 pm
This doesn’t work with the GSM phones, but will work with CDMA phones
September 22nd, 2006 at 3:49 pm
Its always a good practice to remember ur IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number.
To obtain it simply type *#06# on your phone. Otherwise check the back of your battery.
It does work with GSM phones contrary to what Syam is saying..:)
September 22nd, 2006 at 7:01 pm
nethi adi! sariya sonneenga thala!
September 23rd, 2006 at 4:34 pm
syam,
i dunno what u mean by working? IMEI number display panradha solreengala?
adhu work avudhu, but u can’t block yr phone as many claim! atleast with Nokia!
September 23rd, 2006 at 4:38 pm
sutharsanan,
good practice? seri, i guess there should be some use for it…
its no point to note down something only to find u cant do anything with it
September 23rd, 2006 at 4:38 pm
indianangel,
danks ba!
September 23rd, 2006 at 5:25 pm
“but u can’t block yr phone as many claim! atleast with Nokia!” - okay guys, here is the story. I am sure Nokia mobiles can be blocked that I don’t think will be a problem. Its not upto the phone manufacturers to block the stolen mobiles but upto your service provider. In most cases the service providers don’t have the facility to block these these stolen mobiles, and remember even if your servicer provider blocks the mobile it doesn’t stop the stolen equipment to be used elsewhere on another network which is happy to let customers use stolen mobiles. My guess is that in certain countries stolen mobiles account for majority of the traffic and it would be a loss making move for some of the service providers to block them. Yebba let me go and have a glass water now
September 25th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Sudharsan & PK, I was talking about locking the phone remotely using IMEI.. but what WA is talking about is locking the phone for a particular service provider, this can be unlocked by entering a code which you can get it from net, if you have a nokia phone which was locked by a service provider (say airtel) and you want to unlock it to use with aircell, go to www.unlockme.co.uk/unlockme.html, go to the forum and give all the details they ask, they will provide you with a code which will unlock your phone….uss appa ippave kanna kattuthey
September 26th, 2006 at 1:15 am
Hey prabhu,
thanks for coming by and correcting my mistake. cheers for that! btw howz life?
September 26th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
WA,
service roviders can block and exactly as syam says, there are people who can unblock it too
and also that’s not a very effective solution. because anyway the guy who steals will throw away yr sim and get a new one, so whats the big deal…
September 26th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
syam,
maybe it works with CDMA… but whats the point in propogating an opinion that it can be done in GSM too??
September 26th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
bharathwaj,
poikinee irukku ba!
do give me yr mail id if possible
September 26th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
bharathwaj,
oh! and mine is prabukarthik at yahoo dot com
January 25th, 2008 at 2:33 am
I lost my Nokia 6610i Mobile. IMEI No.357948000408285. Please lock the mobile.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:51 am
Hi i m deen I lost my new fone nokia 6300, can i get it returne,
if not I want to block it by IMEI NO. plz tell me how i do it,
user(which fond it ) throughtout my SIM(vodafon) ,,,,,,,
is any way to getback my phone.
plz plz plz plz sendme a mail on deendayal19@yahoo.co.in
March 17th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I lost my MOTOROLA motoKRZR k1 mobile along with a memory card. the datas in the memory card are very highly valuable to me. I know have all the details about the mobile also including the IMEI number. I have ma de a police complaint also, inturn they have given me a missing certificate.
How to trace out my mobile? Kindly do the needful. Atleast I want my memory card back.
with regards,
S. Vasanthan
June 9th, 2008 at 11:09 am
i have lost my nokia n-81 blue
i have lost it with the sim(vodaphone)
can i have any way to get it back or block my phone
September 27th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
hi my name is hussain i lost my nokia 6300 mobile here is any method through i get back my mobile mean through i trace mobile