Mobile phone IMEI

[Ian Rabbetts]

I’m hoping someone from the collective can offer some advice about mobile phone IMEI. 

 

I’ve sold a used mobile via eBay but before the buyer makes payment he wants to know the IMEI for “security purposes”. 
 

Is it ok to give him the info or could this be some sort of scam?

 

Thanks. 
 

Ian

[Andy Banks]

A network could use the IMEI to block/track the phone if it was reported stolen or "misused" so I guess your buyer might want to check that before handing over the cash, i.e. it will be functional when he gets it.

 

I can't honestly see any reason why one would ask for such a specific piece of info though. Personally, I'd be asking them about the specifics of why they want the IMEI especially as they claim "security" as the broader reason, security of what and of who, what will they do with the IMEI...?

 

It is possible to "spoof" an IMEI number on another device to make it appear to be another (your) phone so it's not wise to give out this kind of info to just anyone.

[Blatman]

https://www.channelreply.com/blog/view/ebay-buyer-wants-numbers-finance

 

From the seller’s side, giving out an IMEI number is a huge risk. Some sellers have lost their phones’ usability to hackers after giving the IMEI out to criminals masquerading as potential bidders.

The safest bet is to only give the IMEI number to someone who has already paid for the phone. Explain to anyone who asks that you cannot give out the IMEI due to the risk of hacking and remind them that eBay and PayPal protect their purchases. You take all the risks as the seller—the buyer will get their money back if they end up with a bad phone.

[Ian Rabbetts]

Thanks for the replies chaps. 
 

Instead of IMEI he was willing to accept proof of purchase. All I had was the delivery note so sent him a photo of that. Not had any contact since and I realised after sending that it showed the name and address and the mobile phone account number. 
 

Now I’m wondering if this was a scammer and what he could do with the info he has. 

[Blatman]

Well, I'd be speaking to your bank and your phone provider...

Did you give them your Paypal details, bank details or *ANYTHING* that might help them figure out who you are and where you keep your money?

Do you use Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit or any other social media (like a car club forum where nefarious types might learn that there is a nice car at the address on the invoice...) or anywhere where your real name and where you live might be exposed? These might be used as both corroboration as well as for recon...

Had any phone calls fishing for other details like the name of your pets or mothers maiden name or where you went to school or similar? Or if you get these anyway, have they increased recently? I'm not paranoid but a bit of healthy paranoia where personal details are concerned is a no bad thing. 

I've just Googled

"Ian Rabbetts" and hayling

I suggest you do the same to see what is already easily exposed. The second hit is this thread with the following search summary underneath:

By Ian Rabbetts, Saturday at 14:59 in Stuff & Nonsense ... 178 posts; Car Details:Black 1990 SE, 2.0 Blacktop zetec; My Location:Hayling Island.

 

I didn't get scammed recently but I did have a £5,000 credit card bill turn up in my name. I spoke with the issuer and they cancelled the card and removed the debt from my Experian credit report. I STRONGLY recommend signing up to Noddle and keeping an eye on your credit score. Noddle is free and it was the credit card issuer who recommended that I do this. I get an email every month that tells me what's going on with my details.

 

The card issuers suspect the criminals were intercepting my post. I'm pretty sure I got picked at random or the postman was in on it. Either way it was both a bit of a surprise and a minor inconvenience as I spent a couple of hours and a couple of quid on phones calls to the bank, credit card issuer, mortgage company etc etc, and some more hours changing passwords and recovery details on my email accounts...

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Name, address and date of birth was all that a catalogue company needed to open an account in my name. I discovered this when I came home and found £300 worth of women's clothing in a wide variety of sizes and styles on my doorstep one day, and an invoice addressed to me. The perpetrators had left it too late to change the address on the order so it came to me, they were thwarted, and Mr Plod went round to have a word with them. It is horrifying how easy it is to spoof someone's details for criminal ends. We're very careful to shred all address labels and letters too. The down side to all this was that none of the clothes fitted me...