Did I buy a stolen phone?

[ali.fazal]

I traded phones with someone off Craigslist. My iPhone 4S for their Galaxy S3. Went to an AT&T store and activated the Galaxy S3 no problem with the IMEI number and have been using it for a couple days with no issues.

The seller just contacted me and says that his phone was actually issued by work and that it wasn't his to trade. It sounds sort of like a fishy story because the phone didn't seem to have any special security or encryption on it. It seemed like a mainstream device.

He said that if we don't trade back, his company will report the phone stolen. Are there any consequences here for me? I don't want to trade back because 1) I like this phone and 2) I don't know what he would have done to my old phone in the meantime.

Any tips? Can my phone just be disconnected if it's reported stolen? Will it stop working? And can I preempt this and call anyone to inform them this was a legit transaction?

 

[clodfelterac]

sounds like a scam to me... ask the seller to provide his jobs contact info and if he actually provides it, contact them and explain what is goin on... i bet you never hear from him again...

 

[anon(50597)]

Sounds like he wants his old phone back.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Android Central Forums

 

[Zhara]

Sounds like he wants his old phone back.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Android Central Forums

Exactly. I would do as clodfelterac suggested, and also contact AT&T and explain the situation, see what they suggest . There has to be a way to protect against them just changing their mind and being able to report it stolen...

 

[ali.fazal]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

I think it sounds so weird, but I have been reading all these stories about 'blocklists' being started for stolen phone IMEIs and really don't want my phone on it!

I'll tell him to have his boss or IT dept contact me and take it from there. Also, my friend pointed this out: Is it likely that any company would issue a Galaxy s3 already? With it just releasing and all?

 

[srkmagnus]

If it's reported stolen it might not do anything to the device. I believe the SIM will that was which was under the employers account will be locked but yours will be free to use on the device with no problems. Perhaps someone with more knowledge can give some input on this.

Otherwise, sounds like you have a good plan going to keep yourself covered and would not trade back. As you mentioned, the device may not be in its original condition as traded and you don't want to end up getting the short end of the stick at the end of the day.

 

[Devinator]

I'd say let them get the phone back if it's stolen. It's not really your priority to return a phone that was traded to you under the pretense that it was legitimate. If it really wasn't a legitimate trade, I'd assume you will be getting phone calls from someone that isn't the guy who traded it to you. As far as you are concerned, it was a legitimate trade and it's not really your prerogative to be worrying about it.

 

[Zhara]

So what's going on with your situation, op? I'm curious to know if the guy is still bugging you and threatening to report the phone stolen...

 

[ali.fazal]

I was actually out of town this past weekend, so I asked him to hold off on having his boss report the phone till Monday. I told him to contact me on Sunday night when I was back in town.

He never did. I suspect he just wanted to trade back, but I'll keep you guys posted on if this escalates.

There have been many news stories about a new 'blocklist' of stolen phones where a stolen phone's IMEI number will be blocked, not just the sim. That's primarily why I was worried.

 

[Zhara]

Oh yeah, it sounds like he was just full of it. Some people...