I just bought a 8330 off of craigslist and went to hook the phone up through sprint and they told me it either was lost or had been reported stolen, yeah guess I got took! After opening up then I realized there wasnt even a sim card in it. Is there anything I can do or am I stuck with a phone that is useless? any help would be greatly appreciated!
I just bought a 8330 off of craigslist and went to hook the phone up through sprint and they told me it either was lost or had been reported stolen, yeah guess I got took! After opening up then I realized there wasnt even a sim card in it. Is there anything I can do or am I stuck with a phone that is useless? any help would be greatly appreciated!
I would track down the person who sold it to me and....
No, it doesn't look as though you can do anything with the device. Sorry. I could be wrong though.
The person who sold it to you ..... if you can find them ..... needs to call Sprint and release the ESN. Only the person who had the phone on their account can do that, and only if their account is in good standing. Otherwise you *are* SOL.
The SIM card can be easily replaced -- it's the ESN you need to worry about.
This is not good thing - buyer -beware. In the future a bit of advice when buying from Craig's or Ebay. Call the carrier, tell them you are buying a used phone and ask if it is on their lost or stolen list. They will tell you. You will need the ESN number though
The person who sold it to you ..... if you can find them ..... needs to call Sprint and release the ESN. Only the person who had the phone on their account can do that, and only if their account is in good standing. Otherwise you *are* SOL.
The SIM card can be easily replaced -- it's the ESN you need to worry about.
Good luck.
8330's are CDMA. (no sim cards are used on non GSM phones)
But yes, it sounds like you bought a stolen or lost phone.
ya it sucks but unless you can get the person to release the esn you're screwed . i would report the person to the police you have to have their info unless you did a cash exchange
First off, like others said, check with the seller. If they don't respond, just get a police report and then sell it online to a Verizon wireless subscriber.
I don't believe Verizon would block someone from turning on the phone.
There is NO way Verizon is going to activate a lost or stolen phone??????And the police certainly aren't going to let him re-resale the lost or stolen phone after filing his report???????
Last edited by GrandMasterB; 08-18-08 at 08:50 PM.
This is why you always need to ask the seller for the ESN so you can call the wireless carrier and check if the ESN is clear before purchasing. If the seller refuses to supply the ESN then DO NOT BUY THE PHONE!
Hope this clarifies things.
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Boswell, if you live in Calif it is a crime to sell stolen goods. You have to file a police report so the police can write a search warrant to Craigslist for the posting and Craigslist will turn it over to them. If the seller used his real ID to sell the Curve, the cops can hook him up. The cops will need the date of the transaction and any info you have about the seller to get the warrant. Good luck.
