This girl I'm dating gave me her friend's old cell phone?

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Alienboy
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02 Mar 2012, 2:16 am

At first, I thought it was hers, but she told me that it is her friend's old phone, but that she doesn't need it anymore because she has a new phone too. I have been in need of a new cell phone lately because mine hasn't been working very well (it is old). She is practically my new girlfriend now and I trust her and know she isn't lying. Getting this cell phone is an anwser to my prayers. I am just worried about when I go to a Verizon store, they might accuse me of stealing someone elses' phone. Would they question me if I told them that my friend just gave me the phone? I want replace all the info of hers and replace it with my info and then have my Verizon plan put onto that phone. Would this be a hassle or would they believe me and do this for me?

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Nim
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02 Mar 2012, 2:20 am

Is it locked and such? Does it run android?

In my opinion, "a friend" sometimes means stolen.

But if the phones older just tell them it was from a garage sale/goodwill.

I myself sent a HTC HD2 and G1 to a friend in Texas, so its completely possible it is her friends.

Alienboy
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02 Mar 2012, 2:32 am

Nim wrote:

Yeah the phone is open and I can access it. It is an older Blackberry model. It is still way better than my phone. Well I don't think I should say I bought it from a garage sale or goodwill because the phone still has her friend's information on it. I don't think they would buy that. If I just said that she gave the phone to me, they wouldn't care if the phone is an older model or would they play 20 questions with me? Even if say I deleted the info that was on the phone...they could still look up who the phone belongs to by typing in the model number of the phone. Would they actually call my new gf's friend just to verify if she gave me her phone?

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Nim
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02 Mar 2012, 2:46 am

Alienboy wrote:

Nim wrote:

Look in the phones options for a factory reset, and do what this says I guess -

http://www.ehow.com/how_5804588_check-c ... olen_.html

tsukaima
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02 Mar 2012, 2:49 am

seems a bit off topic.... but...

As long as the phone hasn't been reported stolen, they won't even question you about where you got it. It has a unique serial # (ESN) which verizon will use to activate it. When they put that number in for activation, if it's been reported stolen, that # will be blacklisted and won't allow activation.

So, basically, it's a matter of whether or not YOU think it is stolen and trust your source - because Verizon will only tell you it's stolen or even ask if it comes up as blacklisted in their system.

Btw, it will also be blacklisted if whoever used it before broke their contract while the phone was still under contract and left an unpaid bill.

If anything, you don't even have to blame a friend. Say you got it from eBay....

Alienboy
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02 Mar 2012, 3:03 am

tsukaima wrote:

Well...if say the person she said was her "friend" reported the phone lost but not stolen...what would the situation be then? Would I not even be able to use it at all? I mean I can say anything really. A friend gave it to me, bought it on ebay, at a garage sale, etc...but if it was reported lost or stolen...then the phone can't be used at all? I am assuming that this is the case?

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nat4200
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02 Mar 2012, 3:10 am

Redacted

Last edited by nat4200 on 21 Apr 2012, 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

Alienboy
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02 Mar 2012, 3:22 am

nat4200 wrote:

Alienboy wrote:

I am just worried about when I go to a Verizon store, they might accuse me of stealing someone elses' phone. Would they question me if I told them that my friend just gave me the phone?

They probably won't accuse you of stealing the phone... unless they think you are really "suspicious", and then maybe I guess it they could happen (people do steal other peoples phones, but people also give there old phones away - neither seem partly uncommon).

Alienboy wrote:

I want replace all the info of hers and replace it with my info and then have my Verizon plan put onto that phone. Would this be a hassle or would they believe me and do this for me?

Can't you accomplish this just by swapping Verizon SIM card from your old phone into the phone you just got*?

*This presumes that the Blackberry phone you received isn't SIM locked to a different carrier, but it is I think you (or better yet the phone's original owner) will need to ask the other carrier to unlock rather than going to your carrier, Verizon (if the phone is unlocked, or SIM locked to Verizon, it should accept your SIM card - easiest way to try it would just be to switch it off and pop in your SIM, turn it on and see if it rings if prank call your cell number from your house's phone)

I wish it was this easy. Neither of these cell phones has a SIM card. Well I guess you would say they are internal and can't be taken out and swapped...

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tsukaima
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02 Mar 2012, 3:27 am

Alienboy wrote:

I wish it was this easy. Neither of these cell phones has a SIM card. Well I guess you would say they are internal and can't be taken out and swapped...
case?

Lost would be blacklisted as well... and, if it's been blacklisted they would simply refuse to activate the phone. If it hasn't been blacklisted, then they will activate it regardless of how you got it... Pretty simple.

And to the person who mentioned SIM cards.. that's how the REST of the world works. In the US, Verizon & Sprint both (2 of the 4 big cell phone companies) use CDMA technology rather than GSM, which does not make use of SIM cards, but rather, are activated in the carrier's database using the ESN number.

Also, some GSM carriers are starting to blacklist the IMEI of stolen/lost/unpaid devices now as well, so that if you try to use a blacklisted device that's in their database, it will refuse to connect to the network even with a good SIM card.

nat4200
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02 Mar 2012, 3:41 am

Redacted

Last edited by nat4200 on 21 Apr 2012, 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

TechnoDog
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02 Mar 2012, 4:08 am

Come on guys.

If the contacts are still in the phone, why don't you message one & ask them if they friend has lost a phone. If so ask them what make it is.

edit "Noticed you said phone her friend" So her friends info is there. Then have that person contacted.
edit " or you can thank them for the phone & see what happens"..

Mummy_of_Peanut
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02 Mar 2012, 4:55 am

^^ And if your girlfriend is one of her friends, surely she's one of the contacts. If not, I might be a little suspicious - unless she's not a close friend - but why would she have given her a phone if she wasn't a close friend?

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TechnoDog
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02 Mar 2012, 5:01 am

Mummy_of_Peanut wrote:

Only problem with that is the phone is unlocked. So anyone could stick it in & really if she’s learned from the past she would of done that.

You got 2 options walk in the shop or contact someone from the phone.

It's just the info is still in the phone is what gets me. You would of thought they would of wiped it when her friend gave it to her. Unless they not got enough sparks to do that.

bnky
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02 Mar 2012, 5:06 am

Alienboy wrote:

I trust her and know she isn't lying.

... then what's the problem?
Just go tell them she gave it to you.

Mummy_of_Peanut
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02 Mar 2012, 7:03 am

<< Moved from general autism discussion, by member of moderating team. >>

spookiewon
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02 Mar 2012, 12:52 pm

If you know it was active on her (YOUR friend's) account then the ESN is clean. If you can't be sure it's been active on your friend's account, I'd seriously wonder. If your phone is very old, aren't you out of contract and elegible for a new phone? Can't you just get one of the free or almost free phones you get with signing a new contract? They currently have two certified pre-owned (which are factory refurbished and likely to be better than new) flip phones that are free with a two year contract and one new flip phone that is just $49 with contract.

If I hadn't seen it on my friend's account, I'd assume it was stolen.

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