How to check a used phone isn't stolen, blocked or on finance (UK)

A blocked phone looks and behaves exactly like a working one until you put a SIM in it. Then it will not make calls on any UK network, ever — and there is no fix, because the block sits on a shared industry database keyed to the handset itself. If you are buying privately, these checks are the difference between a bargain and a paperweight. They take about two minutes.

Step 1: get the IMEI, and get it from the phone

Dial *#06# on the handset and the 15-digit IMEI appears. On an iPhone you will also find it in Settings → General → About; on Android, Settings → About phone. Cross-check it against the number printed on the SIM tray or the box.

Get it from the phone in your hand, not from a photo the seller sends you. A screenshot of somebody else's clean IMEI is the oldest trick in this market.

Step 2: check the blacklist

UK networks share a single blocked-handset database. A phone gets listed when it is reported lost or stolen, or when the account it was bought on falls into arrears. Once listed, no UK network will carry it.

Run the IMEI through a blacklist checker before you pay — the industry-backed CheckMEND service is the one insurers and trade buyers use, and several free checkers query the same underlying data. A 'clear' result means it is not currently blocked. Note the word currently: a phone bought on a contract that later defaults can be blocked months after you buy it, which is why the finance check below matters too.

Step 3: check it is not on finance

A phone still being paid off on a contract belongs to the network, not the seller. If payments stop, it gets blocked, and you have no claim against anyone. Ask the seller directly whether the phone is owned outright, and be wary of anyone reluctant to answer.

The strongest signal is the original receipt or an account screenshot showing the device paid in full. A seller with nothing to hide can produce it.

Step 4: check activation lock is off

On an iPhone, Find My has to be switched off and the seller signed out of iCloud. Reset the phone in front of them and watch it complete setup to the home screen — if it asks for someone else's Apple Account password, the phone is unusable to you and no amount of arguing changes that.

Android is the same story under a different name: the Google account must be removed, and on Samsung handsets the Samsung account too. A factory reset alone does not clear these.

Step 5: check the network lock

A network-locked phone works only on the network it was sold on until it is unlocked. Networks unlock free for their own customers, but the request has to come from the account holder — which will not be you.

Put your own SIM in before you pay and make a call. If the seller will not allow that, walk away.

What to do if a phone fails a check

Do not buy it, and do not accept a discount to take the risk on. A blocked handset has no resale value, cannot be used on any UK network and, if it was reported stolen, is property you are not entitled to keep.

If you have already bought one: report it to the platform you bought through and to your payment provider immediately — card and PayPal protections have time limits. If you paid by bank transfer to a private seller, your options are limited, which is exactly why that payment method should be avoided.

The shortcut: buy from someone who has already done all of this

Every phone we sell is IMEI-checked and diagnostically tested through our Phonecheck partnership before it is listed — blacklist status, activation lock, and a full function test, with the results attached to the handset. The 8-point buying checklist covers what else is worth inspecting, and our grading guide explains exactly what each condition grade means.

That is the trade-off with private sales: the price is lower because the checking is your job. If you are going to do it properly, do it in the order above.