Controversal subject- Stolen Mobile Phones Listed on eBayAU (IMEI Blocked and/or Activation Locked)

[mikisftf]

As I am still looking to buy another iPhone, I see numerous listings for stolen iPhones.  Some (not many) even include the IMEI number - or the seller provides one when asked to do so.

eBay will not remove these listings unless asked to do so by 'law enforcement'.  However, it appears that Australian 'law enforcement' are not interested in stolen property.  I tried my local Police Station, the CrimeStopper 1800 number, and the Federal Police.  No one would take a report regarding the sales of stolen property on eBay Australia.  The only assistance offered was to report the listings as Online Fraud via a Queensland based Police Site.  However, this was useless as the site only dealt with fraud AFTER one had paid for an item.  In any case, this is not fraud - it is sale of stolen goods and goods in custody.

The IMEI blocking of mobile phones has not stopped their sale on eBay Australia for use in other countries or for spare parts.

Now the Activation Lock introduced by Apple with their iOS7 has also failed to stop the sales of stolen iPhones on eBay,  In fact it only appears to have encoraged more thefts.  As the criminals need to steal and sell more phones to 'feed' their needs (drug addictions?).

http://harvestcellular.net/icloud-find-iphone-ios-7-activation-lock-failed/

The only thing that might work is for eBay to remove the listings for stolen phones themselves - without waiting for 'law enforcement'.  After all, it is not like other stolen goods where there would be proof needed that the item(s) were stolen property.

What does the eBay community think about this?

[phorum_junkie*]

How could ebay ever provide the manpower to check the status of every one of the millions of moile phones that are listed on ebay every day?

Of course they cannot just take the word of a member that the phone is stolen and like every other item sold on this and other sites it is up to the buyer to use a bit of common sense.

If a seller will not supply the IMEI number so a buyer can check it out then they shouldn't bid, if they receive it and find it is useful as nothing but a door stop then they can put in a claim to Paypal and report by way of the auction fraud report site.

[mikisftf]

>How could ebay ever provide the manpower to check the status of every one of the millions of moile phones that are listed on ebay every day?

I am sorry.  I thought I made it very clear that I was writting about eBay Australia?  That is what I meant by eBay AU.

There are not even hundreds of iPhones added to eBay Austraia per day.

>Of course they cannot just take the word of a member that the phone is stolen and like every other item sold on this and other sites it is up to the buyer to use a bit of common sense.

Again, I thought that I made it clear that I was writting about IMEI Blocked Mobile Phones (in particular IMEI Blocked Apple iPhones), and Activation Locked/Blocked Apple iPhones.

The AMTA Block List is public.  The fact that an iPhone is IMEI blocked and being offered for sale by someone who can not have the block removed, should be enough proof that the phone is stolen property.  The same goes for Activation Locked iPhones.

I conceed that there is a very, very, rare chance for a phone to be IMEI blocked and to be no longer stolen property.  However, that would be what? 0.001% chance?

>If a seller will not supply the IMEI number so a buyer can check it out then they shouldn't bid, if they receive it and find it is useful as nothing but a door stop then they can put in a claim to Paypal and report by way of the auction fraud report site.

This is not my point.  My point was to lessen the thefts, the frauds, and the insurance frauds, by not permitting stolen phones to be listed in the first place - or at least to remove the listings as soon as possible.

However, thank you for your interest and for your response.

[mikisftf]

As an example of Stolen IMEI Blocked.

Apple iPhone 4s - 16GB - White Smartphone Blocked Bad IMEI iPod Touch AUS
Apple iPhone 5s (IMEI Blocked for telstra) - 16GB - Needs itunes unlock
Genuine Apple iPhone 4 Black 8GB Mobile Phone - IMEI BLOCKED

[mikisftf]

A quick example of sale of iPhone with activation lock.

Iphone 5s Activation Lock

[davewil1964]

"I am sorry.  I thought I made it very clear that I was writting about eBay Australia?  That is what I meant by eBay AU.

There are not even hundreds of iPhones added to eBay Austraia per day."

Who have how many staff?

The call centre is in the Phillipines, T&S is, I believe, in the Phillipines or the US if you can get kicked up the chain. Even these boards are run by a US company. I doubt there is much Australian about eBay au at all. Especially to have the resources to go through every listing to ensure it complies. And it would have to be every listing, otherwise there would, rightly, be legitimate complaints from buyers in categories that weren't subject to such scrutiny.

Buy a phone from a reputable dealer.

[mikisftf]

>Who have how many staff? [Refering to eBay Australia]

I do not think that this is a concern.  There are enough staff to handle the Report This Item reports that would be required to remove stolen phones from eBay AU.

>The call centre is in the Phillipines, T&S is, I believe, in the Phillipines or the US if you can get kicked up the chain.

Reports could be made by the Report link that is in every listing - IF eBay would accept reports on Stolen Mobile Phones.

>Even these boards are run by a US company. I doubt there is much Australian about eBay au at all. Especially to have the resources to go through every listing to ensure it complies. And it would have to be every listing, otherwise there would, rightly, be legitimate complaints from buyers in categories that weren't subject to such scrutiny.

Of course, there is always a risk of buying stolen property when buying via eBay, or GumTree, or any classified or auction style site.  The difference with mobile phones is the IMEI blocking / activation blocking makes public the fact that they are stolen property.

>Stolen propery is always a risk

As above.

>Buy a phone from a reputable dealer.

eBay offers the advantage of buying from a much wider source of sellers, from around Australia.  Often for a bargain price.

I just recently successfully purchased an iPhone 4S 32GB for AU$160 delivered by Express Post.

[davewil1964]

So why are you looking for another phone?

If YOU wish to buy a phone online, then you need to apprise yourself of the pitfalls attendant thereto. Especially for a used one. As you seem to have done.

I just go to my local Telstra shop and get a new one for about 30% of cost to buy separately, amortised over 24 months.

[mikisftf]

>So why are you looking for another phone?

For a family member.  The iP4S was also for another relative.

>If YOU wish to buy a phone online, then you need to apprise yourself of the pitfalls attendant thereto. Especially for a used one. As you seem to have done.

Yes, I am OK now - after buying a stolen iPhone recently.  I am reasonable sure that the next one I buy will be 'clean'.

I am more concerned about others at the moment.  Those having their iPhones stolen, or their lost iPhones found and not returned, and then the stolen/lost phones being sold via eBay.

>I just go to my local Telstra shop and get a new one for about 30% of cost to buy separately, amortised over 24 months.

I found it better and cheaper to buy outright and then use with my Aldi and Vaya SIMs.  As for the relatives, they are with AU Japan and I think Softbank Japan and Vodafone NZ.

[davewil1964]

So your rellos should probably be looking to buy phones in the country they are resident in.

Really, you are starting to draw long bows.