Buying a cell phone used or from unknown stores requires extra care. To verify the origin, it is necessary to consult the IMEI on specialized websites or on the Anatel platform (National Telecommunications Agency)🇧🇷 The procedure allows checking if there is any blockage, or if the code is registered as a cloned, pirated or adulterated cell phone. Learn how to check if a smartphone has any usage restrictions.
How to know if the IMEI is blocked by Anatel
- Enter the page Consult your situationon the Anatel website
- Click on “Check the status of your cell phone here”
You will be redirected to the Serial Device Query website.
- Enter the IMEI in the field provided
After entering the code, confirm the robots verification (captcha). - Click on Consult
- If the IMEI has no restrictions, the message will be displayed “So far the informed IMEI has no restrictions on use”🇧🇷 If there is an impediment record, the reason for the blockage and the responsible operator will appear.
Despite the weird interface and strange name, the site Device Serial Query is the official way to check an IMEI status and find irregular devices. The platform is maintained by ABR Telecom, an association affiliated with Anatel that is also responsible for number portability in Brazil.
Watch out for dual SIM devices
If you want to check a cell phone that supports dual sims, be sure to check the status of both IMEI codes.
What is Legal Cell Phone?
cool cell phone is a project maintained by Anatel to combat and inhibit the use of adulterated, stolen, lost cell phones without agency approval. The regulator works together with cell phone operators, the Federal Police and Public Security Secretariats.
The project started in 2012, but the IMEI blocking of stolen or pirated cell phones only started to happen in 2016. Anatel determined that operators should implement a system to identify and control cloned, adulterated, stolen or devices without accepted certification .
How to know if the cell phone’s IMEI is original or cloned
Anatel’s IMEI query portal only shows whether the cell phone is registered on the block list, but does not inform details such as model or manufacturer. Therefore, the alternative is to check the serial number on the IMEI checker website.
Some IMEI checkers options are imei.info and IMEI24🇧🇷 These sites allow you to check device model and manufacturer information that was originally assigned to the serial number. If the system returns a cell phone different from the one you have in hand, there are great chances that it is a cloned, tampered or pirated cell phone.
There are IMEI checkers that also check whether the cell phone’s serial number is on a blacklist, but in some cases they charge for the query and are not always reliable.
What is an IMEI blacklist
A blacklist or IMEI blacklist is a database used by operators to block irregular cell phones on their mobile phone networks. Equipment on this list is often devices that have been stolen, lost, tampered with, or cloned.
If the IMEI code is registered in this blacklist, the cell phone will not be able to authenticate with the telephone operator’s network. Thus, the device has no signal and is prevented from making or receiving calls, exchanging SMS and using mobile internet.
Are IMEI checkers reliable?
IMEI checkers can be useful to check if the serial number corresponds to the corresponding device, but they are not reliable to check if it is an irregular cell phone or is on a blacklist.
O Technoblog tested the IMEI of a stolen device with restrictions on Anatel’s official portal. The same serial number appears as “clean” in IMEI24, which has a free blacklist search tool.
Do IMEI checkers have their own database?
The information from the IMEI checkers is based on the GSMA, a worldwide association responsible for identifying with a unique code all devices in the world that use GSM technology.
However, the origin of the block list information available on IMEI checker websites is uncertain. In this case, it is safer to consult Anatel’s database, which is official and has free access.
What does invalid IMEI mean?
An invalid IMEI means the code is not correct. The number consists of 15 digits, the last being a checker, and has a logic to become valid.
If a cell phone displays an invalid IMEI message, it is likely that the device has a logic board problem. In this case, it is recommended to send the smartphone for analysis by a technical assistance authorized by the manufacturer.
What does it mean when IMEI is blocked?
A blocked IMEI means that the device is registered on Anatel’s block list and, therefore, is unable to get a signal from operators throughout the national territory. Therefore, it is not possible to make calls, exchange SMS or access mobile internet via 2G, 3G, 4G or 5G.
Anatel’s own portal informs the reason for the impediment, whether due to loss, robbery, theft, pirated cell phone or irregular device.
Can I find out who owns the cell phone by the IMEI?
It is not possible to identify the owner of a cell phone and his personal data just by IMEI code🇧🇷 Mobile operators are able to associate which lines used the device, but for security reasons, this information is only made available if there is a legal request.
Is it possible to unlock the IMEI of the cell phone?
Yes, it is possible unlock the IMEI of a lost or stolen cell phone🇧🇷 However, the request can only be made by the blocking requester through an identity document.
Pirate, cloned, adulterated or uncertified cell phones whose IMEI was included in Anatel’s blacklist cannot be unlocked.
https://tecnoblog.net/responde/como-consultar-imei-celular-anatel-blacklists/