Yes, the police can track a stolen phone using either your phone number or the phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). Whether or not the police prioritize looking for your stolen phone is another matter.
Through this CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register) database, you can trace your lost or stolen mobile by following a few steps. The portal requires only the 15-digit IMEI number of the lost phone (which you can find on the packing or the bill). You can also block your phone using the same website.
The police won't track your phone without reason, but they can access your device's location history in an emergency or if they suspect criminal activity. Once they have a warrant, the police can access a phone's GPS data through a cell provider and view its current or last known location.
1.1 Each mobile handset has a unique identification number known as an International Mobile Equipment Identity number or more commonly an IMEI. With the IMEI being unique to the individual handset it provides police opportunities to identify and recover stolen property.
GPS works by measuring the time it takes a radio signal to travel between one of the many satellites orbiting the earth and a cellphone. This time is used to determine the location of the phone, and it happens almost instantaneously.
A mobile service provider can block the said mobile phone by putting the IMEI number in the black list. Once blacklisted, the phone is useless as it cannot be used anymore. The operator can also trace mobile phone using its IMEI number by GPS, thus helping you find the lost or stolen mobile phone.
Can a phone be tracked if it's turned off? A phone that is turned off is difficult to track because it stops sending signals to cell towers. However, the service provider or internet provider can show the last location once it's switched back on.
Sell it for parts
In the most common scenario, the smartphone is simply sold for parts, especially if the thief found it locked. If the purpose was just to steal a phone, not to hurt you specifically, chances are the thief will not purposefully try to hack it.
Both the iOS and Android Device Manager use internet connection to find and track your phone. It leverages on your phone's GPS connection to the internet instead of the link to your cell network. Therefore, it can always track your lost phone even without the sim card installed in your phone.
Does Airplane mode turn off location services on Android or iPhone? Airplane Mode will not hide your location. The GPS, which can be found on the iPhone or any other device, is a different system that transmits and receives signals directly from the satellite.
It's a good idea to file a police report as soon as possible. This document should include a description of your device and the serial and IMEI number of the phone. The police will issue a confirmation and you should deliver it to the operator to block the IMEI number.
The simple way to do this is to turn "Airplane Mode" on. It turns off your cell radio and the Wi-Fi installed in your cell phone so that none of them can connect to their particular networks. You can turn on airplane mode on both iPhone and Android cell phones by visit "Settings" - "Airplane mode" and turn it on.
What can someone do with your IMEI number? If someone has access to your device IMEI number, then he can track your device location, find out the mobile brand, model, its specifications, and more. Law enforcement agencies and disaster relief agencies use IMEI numbers in case of emergency.
The app Fog Reveal allows police to search billions of phone records to track people's locations, which are often called "patterns of life" by law enforcement. Attorneys say this is rarely cited in court, making it hard to defend their clients if the police are tracking them without their knowledge.
They will try to wipe out the data including photos, videos, documents, audios, etc. from stolen iPhones for resale. Thieves know several techniques to erase everything from the stolen phone. Plus, thieves are also capable of tricking the buyer that stolen iPhone is clean and unlocked.
Among the most secure Phones – Purism Librem 5
These switches are located for the cameras, microphone, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular baseband. This phone has all the significant trackers disabled by default.
Here is how to pause your location on find my iPhone. Head to the settings of your iPhone and tap on your name/phone number at the top. Click on the Find My App. Toggle off “Share my Location.”
Here's how you can fake your GPS location on an Android device: Head over to Google's Play store > Fake GPS Location – GPS Joystick. Once installed, launch the app and tap the 'Set Location' option. Open the map to select the fake location of your choice via the help of the Latitude and Longitude line in GPS Joystick.
Only by it's MAC address would it be able to be located from the IP address . The IMEI would not show up if using wifi . That is used when you use a SIM and the carrier's network to get online .
So while websites can technically see your IMEI number, they can't use it to track you or access sensitive personal data. In general, though, you don't need to worry too much about websites being able to see your IMEI number.