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Stolen mobiles don't work

Stolen mobiles are now blocked within 48 hours of being reported stolen - here's some basic advice to help you avoid buying a stolen mobile phone and ending up with a phone you can't use.

How to buy a 2nd hand mobile safely

Buy from a reputable source

Try to ensure that, wherever possible, you are buying from a trusted and reputable source. Buying a mobile from a stranger in the pub is pretty risky.

Ask the seller questions – is it their handset to sell, why they are selling?

If you're buying from an online business, ask where it's based, whether it has a shop, or what its company number is. You should also ask for the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of the phone.

Unscrupulous sellers will either not answer questions like this, or their answers will be evasive.

Check the description

Read the item description very carefully and make sure that you know exactly what you're buying, particularly if you're buying online (though the same principles apply if buying face-to-face).

If you're unsure, ask the seller to explain the description. They are normally very happy to help you if it means they’ll make a sale!   

Search the text of the listing for words such as 'barred' or 'blocked'. You can do this, if buying online, in your browser by pressing CTRL and F (or Command and F on a Mac) together – the words can be hidden in long streams of product information in the hope that you won't spot them.

'Locked' v 'blocked'

There is a crucial difference between the terms 'locked' and 'blocked' which may appear in the description.

If a handset is 'locked' its usually means it's just tied into operation on one particular network and can easily, and legally, be 'unlocked' for use with other networks.

A 'blocked' handset is one that has been blocked from use on all networks in the UK because it is stolen. It is illegal to unblock or to offer to unblock a handset.

Buying online tips

Learn as much as you can about the seller. If it is an online purchase from a site such as ebay, check the seller's feedback – not just their score, but also dig deeper and look out for some of the following: 

• whether the seller has been buying a lot of low-value items - they may have been doing this to build up a positive feedback score, and is now selling large numbers of high-value items
• the kinds of items that they have been buying or selling – make sure that the person’s record indicates that they are either an established mobile dealer or a private individual selling an old handset
• how long they have had a web-site or been registered on the site – if they have been trading for a reasonable period of time, with  positive feedback, they are more likely to be a safer person to purchase from

These factors do not necessarily mean that someone is selling a stolen phone, but they should alert you to do some further research before you buy.

If you are buying online, make sure that you are paying with PayPal (new window). It is a much more secure way of paying than any other because it offers purchase protection to buyers. If anything does go wrong, using PayPal means that we’ll have the seller’s contact details (address, financial details), so will be able to work with law enforcement to track the seller.

Search online to see if the phone you want to buy has been reported stolen

You can now search online databases to see whether a phone you want to buy has been reported as lost or stolen.

www.checkmend.com (new window) is the global stolen property database that allows the public and secondhand trade to check if an item of property they wish to buy is registered as lost or stolen.

It is recommended that you search the database using the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number or checkMEND certificate number (if one is provided by the seller) for the mobile phone you want to buy. If the seller has provided a checkMEND certificate, it’s free for you to view this online. 

If you are at all suspicious of the authenticity of a mobile phone you're thinking of buying, you can get more information and advice at the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit website (new window).

Staying safe once you’ve bought your mobile phone

1. You should register your phone with both your mobile network and at www.immobilise.com (new window).
   
   By registering the IMEI number, the police can contact you if your phone is stolen and is later handed in or recovered from criminals.
   
2. You should also check and record the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of your phone.  You can find this out by typing *#06# into your handset or by looking inside the phone where the SIM card is housed.
   
   The IMEI is a unique code that is used to identify an individual 'GSM' mobile telephone on a 'GSM network'. By keeping this 15-digit code safe, you can help get your phone blocked if it is stolen, which will mean that the handset can no longer be used on any network.