IMEI Wrongly reported stolen

[RodrigoM]

I bought an IphoneX from a Verizon store and it is now reported as lost or stolen. I have it right here, and the receipt as well. It's an unlocked phone paid in full.

[rcschnoor]

You need to go back to the store or call CS.

Phone Numbers

Customer Service

800.922.0204

Click to Call

or dial *611 from your mobile phone

Mon - Fri, 7 AM - 9 PM local time
Sat - Sun, 8 AM - 9 PM local time

[RodrigoM]

Not in the US anymore, and the online Verizon chat doesn't work. I have no ideia what to do next.

[rcschnoor]

Is this phone still active on a Verizon line of service? Was it ever?

You can contact Verizon from overseas at the following numbers:

Contact us.

While in the US: (800) 711-8300

Traveling outside the US: 1 (908) 559-4899

If your device is lost, stolen or broken, or you experience a device issue while you are traveling outside the US, please use the below instructions to reach the International Support Team from a landline phone:

1. Dial your country’s toll-free number.
2. Enter your 10-digit mobile number when prompted by the International Hotline.

When will you be back in the US? Unfortunately, if you are unable to provide proof to Verizon that you are the rightful owner you are likely out of luck. If you are not planning to return to the US, in the future you should purchase your iPhones unlocked directly from Apple. This would keep Verizon out of this equation along with the added benefit of not having to pay an activation fee.

[RodrigoM]

Is this phone still active on a Verizon line of service? Was it ever?

I don't know. The seller told me it was ready to use.

When will you be back in the US? Unfortunately, if you are unable to provide proof to Verizon that you are the rightful owner you are likely out of luck

I won't be back anytime soon. The phone was paid in cash and I have a receipt.

Thank you, you've very helpfull.

[rcschnoor]

RodrigoM wrote:

Is this phone still active on a Verizon line of service? Was it ever?

I don't know. The seller told me it was ready to use.

When will you be back in the US? Unfortunately, if you are unable to provide proof to Verizon that you are the rightful owner you are likely out of luck

I won't be back anytime soon. The phone was paid in cash and I have a receipt.

Thank you, you've very helpfull.

You have a receipt from a 3rd party, not Verizon? You are assuming, of course, the person who sold the phone to you was the rightful owner AND/OR that person did not report the device as stolen after they sold it to you in order to receive an insurance replacement device.

It sounds as if with the receipt you have, you would not likely be able to prove the device is rightfully yours, especially if the original owner of the device was the one who reported it stolen.

[RodrigoM]

To whom I have to prove I'm the rightful owner? The receipt is from All in One Wireless Las Vegas

[rcschnoor]

RodrigoM wrote:

To whom I have to prove I'm the rightful owner? The receipt is from All in One Wireless Las Vegas

To Verizon if they are the ones blocking this device from working because it was reported lost/stolen by the rightful owner.

All In One Wireless is a company which purchases/repairs used phones from people and then resells them. If someone finds and/or steals a phone and then sells it to All In One Wireless who then resells it, simply because you have a receipt from All In One Wireless does not prove they were the rightful owner of the device in order to pass that ownership on to you. Someone who was hard up for cash in Las Vegas may have even sold the phone to All In One Wireless and then reported it stolen in order to get an insurance replacement.

This business has either 1 star or 5 star reviews on Yelp, etc... which would lead me to question whether the 5 star reviews were plants from the owners/employees of the business.

It is doubtful Verizon will take this device out of its lost/stolen database in order for you to activate it.

[vzw_customer_support]

Having a fully functional device is very important and we do want to make sure that you get the help and information that you need, RodrigoM.  With regard to the device, only the original owner can remove a device off any specific deny list.  If you purchased the device from a 3^rd party re-seller, we do recommend reaching out to the re-seller for assistance.  I did send you a Private Message so that we can check into the IMEI for you and provide you with the best options. 

Adam_VZW
Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[bigal6]

CS can do anything about if if it was not reported stolen through verizon. i have the same problem but CS said...sorry.

[Urfavegirl]

I got a refurbished iPhone 8 Plus warranted to me from Verizon in March of 2019. I just payed it of this year of 2020. Upon taking it to a different phone carrier in May of 2020 it was discovered that the refurbished iphone Verizon warranted me was later reported lost or stolen and Verizon is uncooperative in resolving the issue. 

[vzw_customer_support]

We can certainly get that updated for you. You would just need to call 800-922-0204 and request to speak with someone from our tier 2 technical support team.

EllisandraC_VZW

[GrayGlory]

I have also had this same issue with an iPhone X. Bought it at Best Buy. Have the original receipt. Best Buy even verified the purchase when I went into their store (the same store I bought it from) and said I'd have to call Verizon CS to get it cleared up because they see no reason why it can't be traded in for value. It was a brand new iPhone, not refurbished. Sometimes, you can only trade phone in through Verizon corporate, so I went online to do the trade in (for less money) and eventually got the same result--reported lost or stolen. After 3 calls and nearly 5 hours of waiting, I found out a third party insurance company, Asurion, reported the phone as lost or stolen. Verizon confirmed on their end that the phone was never reported lost or stolen to them, and they were highly confused why Asurion had reported it as so. The Verizon rep helping was kind enough to call them with me on the phone and reported back to me that it had likely been a clerical error of some kind, but that Asurion had rectified it. I was then told to give it 24 hours before it's updated in Verizon's system. Well, it's been 30 hours and I still get the same error message. I'm probably going to call Asurion directly and fight with them, but this little "clerical" error has cost me great aggravation and time out of my busy schedule. I will say this does not appear to be Verizon's fault, and they've been helpful in attempting to resolve it...but it has yet to be resolved.

[KH-OrnEsh]

Due to the age of this thread, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.

[vzw_customer_support]

We are sorry to see this has happened to you, GrayGlory. I know how important it is to have an unlocked device and having this locked and reported as stolen can really be bothersome. Please send us a Private Message for further assistance. 

AnnaG_VZW