How To Track Your Lost Mobile Phone With IMEI Number

IMEI Number is the unique identification number for each mobile phone. It is used by the network providers to uniquely identify a mobile phone on the network and extend its services. An IMEI number of the smartphone can be found at the back of the device, either underneath the battery or on the device’s back panel. In addition, the IMEI number is commonly used to track a phone if the SIM card has been changed.

The phone tracking project has been in development for a while, and it was formed with the sole intention of reducing theft and the counterfeit mobile phone business. The government of India has allocated about Rs 15 Crore to this project with hopes of a solid outcome.

While we have some excellent tools such as Find my iPhone or Find my Phone on android, they are useless if the phone lacks an internet connection. Every third party or first-party app on the phone fails to work generally without an active internet connection.

CEIR is a central database with the IMEI numbers of all mobile operators. Since each mobile phone has a unique IMEI number, it is easy to differentiate the device from others.

The Government of India has unveiled the Central Equipment Identity Register or CEIR, which allows users to block or track a lost phone. The new technology is expected to work even if the SIM card is removed or replaced. The registry is managed by the Centre of Development of Telematics as they work with telecom operators and other regulatory authorities to track lost smartphones.

How To Track Your Lost Mobile Phone With IMEI Number

• The first step is to file a report with the police about the lost or stolen phone and to keep a copy of the report
• Then contact your service provider to issue a duplicate SIM card, when you request the blocking of the IMEI number you will get an OTP on this number
• Visit the portal here for blocking the IMEI and attach the required documents. You will need the copy of the police report, identity proof, purchase invoice, and other details
• You will get an OTP On the number that you entered; this should be the same number which was active on the phone before it got lost
• You will then be given a request ID and you can check the status of the request, or to unblock the IMEI if required in the future

When you file a complaint against a lost or stolen mobile phone, the network operator will share the device IMEI number as blacklisted to the central database and other operators will also ban the device so that it doesn’t work on any network even if the SIM card is removed or replaced. This new initiative from the Department of Telecom has a huge potential and will hopefully help a lot of users.

While it is technically not possible to track the smartphone directly from your phone, it is possible to put the phone on an alert list by the network operator. This way, the phone can be identified when it is connected to a network. You can do this by following the FIR process and adding your phone IMEI to the blacklist using the method above, this will ensure that the law enforcement authorities and the network operators are on a lookout for your mobile phone and when they identify the mobile phone on their network, the law enforcement authorities are notified so that they can do the needful.

Benefits of IMEI Number

• IMEI number cannot be changed

The IMEI number cannot be ever changed by anyone. Even the thieves who stole your mobile cannot change that number. The sim can or the location can be turned off, but the IMEI number cannot get replaced ever. Therefore, it is essential to store the IMEI number of the phone.

• You can block the IMEI number

Blocking the IMEI number enables you to stop the usage of your mobile phone. So, even if the thief has your phone, he cannot use it if you block the IMEI number. So, in case your phone gets stolen, the first thing to do is to block the IMEI number. You need to contact the police for doing so.