How to Check iPhone IMEI Before Buying (Free Australian Tools 2026)

You're about to meet a Gumtree seller in Australia to buy their iPhone 14. The photos look great. The price is reasonable. You drive 40 minutes across your city, inspect the phone, and everything looks perfect. You pay $650, drive home excited, pop in your SIM card… and it doesn't work. The phone connects to WiFi but can't make calls. You check the IMEI online and discover it's blacklisted—reported stolen 6 months ago. The phone is now a $650 paperweight.

This exact scenario happens every week across Australia - from Perth to Sydney to Melbourne. Sellers know most buyers don't check IMEI numbers before purchasing, so they offload stolen or blacklisted phones to unsuspecting buyers. And by the time you discover the problem, the seller has blocked your number and disappeared.

Here's the good news: checking an iPhone's IMEI takes about 60 seconds and is completely free. It reveals if the phone is stolen, blacklisted, carrier-locked, or has outstanding finance. And you can do it before meeting the seller, which saves you from wasting hours on phones you should never buy.

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What is an IMEI and Why Does It Matter?

IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity. It's a unique 15-digit number assigned to every iPhone (and every mobile phone globally) that identifies that specific device.

Think of it like a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for cars, but for phones. Just like how a VIN tells you a car's history—accidents, ownership, theft reports—an IMEI tells you a phone's history.

What IMEI Can Reveal

Checking an IMEI tells you:

• Blacklist status - Is this phone reported as lost or stolen?
• Carrier lock status - Is it locked to a specific carrier (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone)?
• Outstanding finance - Does someone still owe money on this phone?
• Model verification - Confirm it's actually the model the seller claims
• Warranty status - Is AppleCare or manufacturer warranty still active?

What Happens if You Buy a Blacklisted Phone

If an iPhone's IMEI is on Australia's blacklist (managed by AMTA - Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association), here's what happens:

• Cannot connect to any Australian cellular network - Telstra, Optus, Vodafone all block it
• WiFi still works - You can use it like an iPod Touch, but no calls, texts, or mobile data
• Cannot be removed from blacklist - Only the original owner who reported it stolen can remove it
• Impossible to resell - Anyone who checks the IMEI will discover it's blacklisted
• No recourse if you bought it unknowingly - Police won't help, seller is long gone

In other words: a blacklisted iPhone is permanently unusable as a phone in Australia. It becomes an expensive WiFi-only device.

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How to Find an iPhone's IMEI (3 Methods)

You need the IMEI number before you can check it. Here are three ways to find it:

Method 1: Settings Menu (Easiest if You Have the Phone)

1. Open Settings app

2. Tap General

3. Tap About

4. Scroll down to IMEI (15-digit number)

5. Tap and hold to copy it

Method 2: Dial Code (Works on Any iPhone)

1. Open the Phone app

2. Dial *#06# (star, hash, zero, six, hash)

3. IMEI appears on screen immediately (no need to press call)

4. Write it down or take a screenshot

Method 3: SIM Tray (Best for Checking Before Meeting Seller)

1. Ask the seller to send you a photo of the SIM tray

2. The IMEI is printed on the SIM tray itself (tiny text)

3. This lets you check the IMEI before meeting the seller

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How to Check IMEI Status (Free Australian Tools)

Once you have the IMEI number, use these free official Australian tools to check its status:

Tool 1: AMTA Check (Most Comprehensive)

Website: amtacheck.com.au

What it checks:

• Blacklist status across all Australian carriers
• Reported as lost or stolen
• Outstanding finance or insurance claims

How to use:

1. Go to amtacheck.com.au

2. Enter the 15-digit IMEI

3. Complete CAPTCHA

4. Results appear instantly

What you want to see: "This device is NOT reported as lost or stolen"

Red flag: "This device IS reported as lost or stolen" → Do not buy, phone is blacklisted

Tool 2: Telstra IMEI Checker

Website: telstra.com.au/support/mobiles-devices/check-network-compatibility

What it checks:

• Blacklist status on Telstra network
• Telstra carrier lock status
• Network compatibility (4G/5G support)

Tool 3: Optus IMEI Checker

Website: optus.com.au/support/mobiles-tablets-wearables/important-phone-settings/network-unlock-phone

What it checks:

• Blacklist status on Optus network
• Optus carrier lock status
• Unlock eligibility

Tool 4: Apple's Activation Lock Check

Website: icloud.com/activationlock

What it checks:

• iCloud Activation Lock status (different from IMEI blacklist)
• Requires either IMEI or Serial Number

Note: This checks iCloud Lock, not blacklist status. You should check both.

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Understanding IMEI Check Results

Result 1: Clean (Safe to Buy)

Result 2: Blacklisted (Do Not Buy)

Result 3: iCloud Locked (Do Not Buy)

Result 4: Carrier Locked (Negotiable)

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IMEI Blacklist vs iCloud Lock: What's the Difference?

These are two different types of locks, and you need to check both:

Key point: A phone can be clean on the IMEI blacklist but still have iCloud Lock (or vice versa). You must check both before buying.

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Common Australian IMEI Scams

Here are the tactics dishonest sellers use across Australia to sell blacklisted or problematic phones:

Scam 1: "I Don't Know the IMEI"

Seller claims they don't know how to find the IMEI or "it's too complicated." This is nonsense—you can literally dial *#06# and it appears instantly.

Reality: They know the IMEI is blacklisted and don't want you checking it before meeting.

Defense: Send them instructions ("Go to Settings → General → About → IMEI"). If they still refuse, walk away.

Scam 2: Providing Fake IMEI

Seller sends you an IMEI via message, you check it and it's clean, but when you meet them the actual phone has a different IMEI (blacklisted).

Reality: They gave you a clean IMEI from a different phone to pass your pre-check.

Defense: When you meet, verify the IMEI on the actual phone (Settings → General → About) matches what they sent you.

Scam 3: "WiFi Only" Phone

Seller lists phone as "WiFi only" or "perfect for kids" to disguise the fact it's blacklisted.

Reality: No legitimate reason exists to sell an iPhone as "WiFi only" - that means it's blacklisted.

Defense: Never buy a "WiFi only" iPhone unless you're paying parts prices ($50-100 max).

Scam 4: "Recently Blacklisted" Timing

You check the IMEI before meeting and it's clean. You buy the phone. Two days later, it's blacklisted.

Reality: Seller reported the phone stolen after selling it to you (insurance fraud).

Defense: This is rare but happens. Only buy from sellers with verifiable identity (not anonymous Gumtree accounts).

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The Bottom Line: 60 Seconds Prevents $650 Mistakes

Here's what I've learned after checking hundreds of IMEIs for Australian buyers:

• Check IMEI BEFORE meeting the seller. Ask for it via message and run it through amtacheck.com.au - takes 60 seconds.
• Check both blacklist AND iCloud Lock. A phone can pass one check and fail the other.
• Verify IMEI matches when you meet. Dishonest sellers send fake IMEIs, so confirm the actual phone's IMEI matches what they sent.
• Never buy blacklisted or iCloud locked phones. They're permanently unusable regardless of price—even "cheap" is too expensive.
• Seller refuses to provide IMEI? Walk away. Legitimate sellers have zero reason to hide this information.

IMEI blacklisting is one of the most common problems in Australia's used iPhone market. I estimate 1 in 20 Gumtree listings are blacklisted phones being sold to unsuspecting buyers. The seller knows the phone is worthless to them, so they try to pass the problem onto someone else before they discover it.

The good news? Checking an IMEI is free, takes 60 seconds, and prevents you from wasting $650 on a phone that won't work. There is zero reason not to check every single time.

At Oloop, IMEI verification is a mandatory step in our TrueCheck™ 52+4 inspection protocol. We verify blacklist status through AMTA, check iCloud Lock status through Apple, and verify carrier lock status through official tools. Every IMEI check result is documented in the permanent TrueReport™. If an iPhone fails IMEI verification for any reason—blacklisted, iCloud locked, or has outstanding finance—it doesn't make it into our inventory. Period.

Written by Jason, Founder of Oloop | Perth-based, Australia-wide shipping | 4+ years iPhone inspection experience | Updated: January 2026