How to Check an IMEI Number: The Five-Minute Method
Get the number, prove it belongs to the phone in front of you, then read the three verdicts that matter.
Most people check an IMEI in the wrong order. They get the number from the seller, run it through a site, see a green result and relax — never confirming that the number they checked came from the phone they are buying. That single gap is what every IMEI scam depends on, and closing it costs nothing but thirty seconds of attention.
The number itself is easy to get. Dialling *#06# works on essentially every cellular handset, locked or unlocked, iPhone or Android, and it needs no passcode. The screen shows the IMEI (two of them on dual-SIM phones) and, on eSIM models, an EID as well. Photograph that screen with the phone in your hand rather than accepting a screenshot.
Once you have the digits, the lookup does the part you cannot do by eye. Carrier lock, blacklist reports and the real make and model all live in databases the handset itself will not admit to. A phone with a fresh screen, a wiped drive and a helpful seller looks identical to a stolen one until those records are read.
Treat the result as a decision, not a formality. A clean report closes the three expensive unknowns; a flag tells you exactly what the phone is worth and what argument you are about to have. Either way you have moved from trusting a stranger to reading a record, which is the whole point of the exercise.
The five steps
- Get the 15 digits
Dial *#06# on the keypad. The IMEI appears immediately, without unlocking anything or installing an app. On iPhone it is also under Settings then General then About; on Android under Settings then About phone then Status information. - Prove the number belongs to this phone
Compare the digits on screen with the barcode on the original box and, where the model still has a tray, the SIM tray. A seller-supplied photo of a number is worth nothing on its own — the number has to come off the handset you are actually buying. - Run the free check
Type the 15 digits into the checker on this page. It reads worldwide device, blacklist and carrier-lock databases and returns a verdict on screen in a few seconds. No account and no payment are involved. - Read the three verdicts
Device: does the model named in the report match the phone in your hand? Blacklist: is it reported lost, stolen or unpaid anywhere? Carrier lock: will it take your SIM? A problem on any one of those three changes what the phone is worth. - Act before money moves
A clean result means the invisible risks are cleared and you can move on to screen, battery and camera. A flagged result means walking away, or paying only what a phone with that flag is genuinely worth — which for a blacklisted handset is close to nothing.
Check any IMEI free
See device, blacklist and lock status in seconds — no signup. Dial *#06# on the phone to display its IMEI — or scan a photo or screenshot of that screen, or of the barcode on the phone's box or SIM tray.
100% free · no signup · no card needed
Common questions
How do I check an IMEI number for free?
Dial *#06# on the phone to display the 15-digit IMEI, then enter it in the checker on this page. The result — device, worldwide blacklist status and carrier-lock status — appears on screen in a few seconds with no account, no card and no limit on how many phones you check.
Do I need the phone in my hand to check its IMEI?
No, the lookup works from the number alone, which is why you can vet a listing before travelling to see it. But the check only proves something about the handset when you have confirmed the number came off that handset, so do the remote check to filter listings and repeat *#06# in person before paying.
How long does an IMEI check take?
A few seconds. The checker queries device, carrier and blacklist sources in parallel and renders the verdict on screen. If a particular database is slow or withholds a field, the result says so rather than guessing.
What should I do if the report names a different model than the phone?
Stop the transaction. A mismatch between the model in the report and the device in front of you is the signature of a cloned or re-flashed IMEI — the number belongs to some other handset. Ask the seller to dial *#06# again in front of you, and if it still disagrees, walk away.
Can I check an IMEI without dialling *#06#?
Yes. The same number is under Settings then General then About on iPhone, under Settings then About phone on Android, printed on the original box barcode, and on many models etched into the SIM tray. *#06# is simply the fastest route and the one that works on a phone you have not unlocked.
Is there a limit on how many IMEIs I can check?
Not for normal use. Individual checks are free and unmetered for buyers and sellers; if you are working through a batch, the bulk tool queues them for you at a sane rate rather than hammering the databases.