Stable Genius
Regular Member
- Dec 9, 2019
- 224
- 129
This happened in the past and I'm just curious if my logic on how its done is correct.
Someone I know was traveling outside of USA and received free iPhone. The person tried to activate it with US carrier and couldn't because device was locked with foreign carrier. This person found someone in Chinatown that unlocked it for him without touching the phone. He called some place, gave them IMEI number and later stopped by to pay. After he paid the device was able to activate on US carrier.
1) I know to unlock iPhone you need to get unlock code from carrier that sold it. How would someone in Chinatown have connections to foreign carrier to get unlock code?
2) I know that to activate new iPhone US carrier must allow this IMEI / SN into their network. If US carrier previously identified this iPhone IMEI / SN as belonging to different region in the world, how would it all of a sudden be "whitelisted". The only way I could explain it if somehow Chinatown person had someone on the inside of the US carrier who can add IMEI to "whitelisted" database.
Anyone have any ideas?
Someone I know was traveling outside of USA and received free iPhone. The person tried to activate it with US carrier and couldn't because device was locked with foreign carrier. This person found someone in Chinatown that unlocked it for him without touching the phone. He called some place, gave them IMEI number and later stopped by to pay. After he paid the device was able to activate on US carrier.
1) I know to unlock iPhone you need to get unlock code from carrier that sold it. How would someone in Chinatown have connections to foreign carrier to get unlock code?
2) I know that to activate new iPhone US carrier must allow this IMEI / SN into their network. If US carrier previously identified this iPhone IMEI / SN as belonging to different region in the world, how would it all of a sudden be "whitelisted". The only way I could explain it if somehow Chinatown person had someone on the inside of the US carrier who can add IMEI to "whitelisted" database.
Anyone have any ideas?