If we are talking about a "wiretap," then the tracking is being done at the telco and as long as you maintain the same phone number, regardless of SIM or phone, it will get captured.
The answer to that is a simple yes! All phones, whether an iPhone or an android, can be tracked down without a sim card or network. Still, they will need to have a secure Wi-Fi connection to be accurate.
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. Police and cell providers can track any phone that is connected to a cellular network in real time unless the phone is dead or turned off.
Your IMSI and IMEI can be obtained by the police with an 'IMSI catcher', a device deployed to track all mobile phones switched on and connected to the network in its vicinity. Once this identifier is intercepted, it might be used to retrieve personal information about you.
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.
Certain authorities are known to use trojans and other malicious malware to track the phones of certain suspects. These trojans can enable a device to emit a signal even when it's switched off. The signal can be used to track the location of the phone.
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.
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.
File a police report
If you believe your phone has been stolen, file a police report. Although law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to investigate every case of a stolen phone, if you're able to tell them where your phone is (using a finder app), they will be more likely to be able to help you recover it.
No, a phone can be tracked on Airplane Mode. GPS is a separate technology that sends and receives signals directly from the satellite. It does not depend on cellular service at all and that's why a third-party can easily track your location, even when you've turned on the Airplane Mode.
How does police trace mobile phone? They use the IMEI number to trace lost mobiles.
In fact, in most states in America, a police officer is allowed to read over your texts and peruse other personal information on your phone whenever they want. The Fourth Amendment privacy rights and protections do not apply here. Right now, police officers can apprehend you for small crimes.
However, electronic devices are seldom as private as you might imagine. In fact, armed with just a few details from your SIM card, a criminal can track your whereabouts. Here's more information.
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.
Tip: If you've linked your phone to Google, you can find or ring it by searching for find my phone on google.com. On another Android phone or tablet, open the Find My Device app . If the other device doesn't yet have the app, get it on Google Play.
If you simply delete a text, they are still available. And there are common forensics tools used by both law enforcement and civil investigators to recover them.
Authorities can get access to unopened email messages from the last 180 days, but they must get a warrant, first. The police may obtain your opened and unopened messages that are 180 days old or older with a subpoena. But they have to let you know once they've requested this access from the provider.
In general, the Act's prohibitions bar third parties (including the government) from wiretapping telephones. However, a wiretap order (or “Title III order”) permits law enforcement officers to intercept wire communications for up to 30 days. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 2516(1), 2518(5).
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.
70 million smartphones are lost each year, with only 7 percent recovered.
Only 10% of U.S. smartphone owners have their devices stolen, but once the gadgets are taken, 68% of victims are unable to get them back, a report Wednesday said.
India Code: Section Details. Whoever commits theft shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both. 379A.