Cell Phone Stolen? Make it useless for the thief

Martin Brinkmann
May 29, 2006
Updated • May 5, 2013
Mobile Computing
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12

This is a neat little trick that should work with most phones and phone service provider. You simply enter the code on the keypad of your mobile phone to reveal the unique serial number of it on the display. The serial number comes in handy in several situations. You can use it to prove that you are the rightful owner of the phone if it gets taken away from you or stolen, or contact your phone provider after it has been stolen to render it useless for the thief and prevent things like a high phone bill as the thief won't be able to use your SIM card anymore to use the phone's functionality.

The code is * # 0 6 #

The fifteen-digit code is the unique serial number of your mobile phone. Write it down, it's your IMEI Code. When someone steals your mobile you report the theft and your IMEI Code to your service provider. Most providers will ban that serial number making the phone useless.

If the code does not work on your phone, I suggest you search on the Internet to find out how to display your cell phone's IMEI code. If you can't find the information online, try calling your provider to find out how the phone's IMEI code can be displayed, or if the information can be handed over to you in another way.

Please note that this works only if the phone uses the Global System Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, which many but not all phones do. via: snopes.com

You sometimes find the IMEI code underneath the phones' battery. Just look for a sticker there and you should see the IMEI code listed there. You do need to turn off the phone for that for obvious reasons.

Your phone provider adds the IMEI to the Equipment Identity Register (EIR) and Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR), to block it from being usable by the thief.

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Comments

  1. Rush said on August 28, 2023 at 9:50 pm
    Reply

    If Nothing OS is nothing more that an overlay with Google still in the midst….then I ain’t interested.

    1. Seeprime said on September 12, 2023 at 4:12 pm
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      Another unrelated comment older than the article. Pathetic.

      1. Robenroute said on September 13, 2023 at 9:06 am
        Reply

        it is becoming mindbogglingly annoying indeed…

  2. ThisIsTheWayTheGhacksEnds said on September 13, 2023 at 9:09 am
    Reply

    Under: https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/12/iphone-15-with-usb-c-port/

    Apple was forced to add USB-C to a phone and the maccultists start talking about “revolution” and “paradigm shift” (as if USB phones had never come out before). It’s so ridiculous it’s reminiscent of comedians doing the “stepped on a water hose” stunt – that was at least somehow funny a hundred years ago.
    Reading this on a site that used to be a technical resource is especially ridiculous.
    How pathetic

  3. Anonymous said on September 14, 2023 at 4:28 pm
    Reply

    “An iPhone 15 with a USB-C port will mean more than you think”

    That Apple can finally stop hindering progress if spanked hard enough ?

  4. Alex Hales said on September 21, 2023 at 12:51 am
    Reply

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  5. Alex Hales said on September 25, 2023 at 6:02 pm
    Reply

    I found this post really insightful! It’s always intriguing to learn about the various ways we can navigate and understand social media platforms. The idea of checking someone’s Threads following list might seem like a niche topic, but in today’s digital age, it can be quite relevant.

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