Info: Is it bad to give out your IMEI number?

[tavenger5]

In short - YES. Depending on how you're giving your IMEI number out, it is bad. Your IMEI number is your phones identification number. It is specific to your phone. It's kind of like your phones social security number. In the wrong hands, someone could steal your phones identity, leaving you with a large phone bill to pay.

Picture this scenario: You post your IMEI number on a website looking for an unlock code. Several months go by and you get a phone bill for $3,000 and details of calls that you've never made. Someone has cloned your phone and has been using your account, unknowingly to you. Phone cloning is illegal, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

Another less serious scenario: Someone (possibly someone that knows and has something against you) reports your phone lost or stolen posing as the finder of the phone, and you are then unable to use your phone until you call your provider and explain.

What if someone is selling a known stolen phone on ebay and they give the buyer your IMEI, which of course is not stolen. The seller of the stolen phone just made a sale with your help.

Now, do not confuse this with giving your IMEI to a legitimate unlocking service. You should read the service's privacy policy for what they do with IMEI or ESN information. Legitimate services will not store or use this information for anything.

So, mind what you do with any information on the internet. There is always someone out there that could use it against you.

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› See More: Is it bad to give out your IMEI number?

[Tony E!]

I can't stress this enough, thanks for posting this John.

And, if you are dealing with a reputable unlocking service, make sure you provide your info via private message, not by posting it here or in any forum.

Another step we will take is to ban those posting threads asking for IMEI numbers posing to be able to unlock phones.

[maxwellburrell]

i just bought a blackberry storm 9530 and it is locked. how can i get the unlock code for it?

[Keithed]

Every personal information can be used against the person.
We all are concerned about our privacy (well, most of us, I guess), but it's important to stress out that we are responsible for it. It's like complaining about privacy on social network sites, but we never take care of the photos and information we share. It depends on how much information we let go outside. The same is with IMEI.
Of course, someone could steal valuable information no matter how much pracaution we take.

[raenman]

no its not

[Keithed]

I worked as a customer service representative, and I used to find out pretty interesting information when having IMEI. I don't want to rush with a claim that it is dangerous to expose IMEI, but people can be tracked, for example, can be sent codes. If this information stays with a provider, it's OK, but I wouldn't give it to someone just like that.

[Hachiko]

It is dangerous, certainly. Some people though are not aware of this and easily post their IMEI on forums or public chats where everybody can see it. Thank you for sharing this and hopefully it enlightens those who weren't aware about this.

I worked as a customer service representative, and I used to find out pretty interesting information when having IMEI. I don't want to rush with a claim that it is dangerous to expose IMEI, but people can be tracked, for example, can be sent codes. If this information stays with a provider, it's OK, but I wouldn't give it to someone just like that.

Oh, this is pretty alarming, we should be more careful

[Keithed]

Oh, this is pretty alarming, we should be more careful

The codes we sent needed to be confirmed, but those codes were meant to require a confirmation, but if someone could send codes that could sneak out, that would be bad.

[Hachiko]

The codes we sent needed to be confirmed, but those codes were meant to require a confirmation, but if someone could send codes that could sneak out, that would be bad.

So I imagine..

[Mike C]

yup i agree with you