A different SIM card bricked my phone

I bought a Telus Bold and got it unlocked. I went to Europe and popped in a Virgin Mobile (UK) SIM card. It started off oddly as the phone took an extra five mins to boot up when I put the new SIM card in. I used the phone for a half day, but I noticed it really slowed things down. It was constantly hour glassing. Finally, when I woke up this morning there was an error message that I needed to reload the OS (error 102). Unfortunately my laptop is back in Canada, but I'm meeting up with my sister tomorrow. I will have to reinstall everything.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? How can a SIM card brick a phone so badly? Did the unlocking somehow fail? Is there anything I should do next time I reinstall the OS so that this doesn't happen again?

I never heard of a sim card bricking a phone. Did you download something recently?

Nope. I had the phone for a week without incident. I put in the new SIM card and within a half day it was dead. Now I need to reload the OS.

Its the new BBID thing. You must have done a device switch from your previous BB.
I did a clean install, and the signed in to the BBID.
A week later I put in a different SIM card and the phone says that I put in a new SIM card and I should sign in with my BBID or continue without signing in. I selected the latter option and it warned me that all my data would be erased.
I stepped back at that moment.

Well I have no choice but to wipe it clean now. Are you suggesting that I do not sign in next time I swap sim cards? That worked for you?

I am having the same problem. Unlocked Rogers 9900, and am in europe now, it will not let me sign in or use the new sim card due to a "wrong" BBID password (it is not wrong)

It says i will lose my BBID email if i error 10 times and wipe it