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occasional_cynic t1_iy3q9s3 wrote

File a report with the Merrimack police, then call the cell phone company to report it stolen. The providers use a centralized theft database. They will make sure it cannot be activated on any network.

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Siesonn OP t1_iy3qzlv wrote

We called her service and had the phone disabled. We weren't sure if filing a report would be worth it because the phone is in NY now and we were not sure what the police would be able to do for a stolen phone.

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Timzawesome t1_iy3wgyw wrote

Report it stolen. It will be blacklisted, and the phone cannot be activated (making it worthless) in many countries including the US. If Activation Lock (google or icloud) is enabled, the phone will be pretty much useless aside from spare parts for thieves.

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Siesonn OP t1_iy4397o wrote

We went right to Verizon and she was able to have the phone wiped clean and have it listed so that it can't be activated by anyone.

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Less_Cryptographer86 t1_iy4ngxn wrote

Can they tell if it hadn’t already been activated by someone?

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Siesonn OP t1_iy4q4k7 wrote

I'm not sure. We called Verizon customer service to have the phone shut down as soon as she realized it was stolen. Then we went to the Verizon store and they confirmed that the phone was shut down and could not be activated again. We were told that the most it would be good for is if someone used it for parts.

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Fluid_Kale_5599 t1_iy627rp wrote

>the phone cannot be activated (making it worthless)

It's not worthless to the thief if they can sell it to some unsuspecting idiot that isn't aware the IMEI is blocked. Which is exactly what will happen.

They'll put it on Craigslist, meet somebody in a parking lot, show them that the phone boots into Android/iOS and get paid cash for it. Buyer won't realize it's IMEI blocked until they put a SIM in it. And now the thief has fucked two people over.

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