How to tell if an iPhone is stolen

Advice on buying a used iPhone · 4-minute read

A used iPhone can be a great buy — but buying a stolen one is trouble: it may be blocked on networks, locked to someone else's account, or seized by the police as stolen property. Fortunately, in most cases you can find out before you pay. Here's how.

1. Check the IMEI in the Czech Police stolen register

Every phone has a unique IMEI (dial *#06#, or find it in Settings → General → About). The Czech Police runs a public database of phones that owners reported as stolen and had blocked. You enter the first 14 digits of the IMEI and immediately know whether the phone is on record. Czech carriers (O2, T-Mobile, Vodafone) actually block stolen phones on their networks based on this database.

Note: if the phone is not on record, it doesn't guarantee it isn't stolen — only that no one reported it. That's why it pays to check the other points below too.

2. Check the carrier blacklist (GSMA)

Besides the Czech register, there's also an international blacklist (the GSMA database) where carriers worldwide report phones as lost, stolen or with unpaid instalments. A phone on the blacklist may not connect to a network at all. You check this database by IMEI too.

3. Check the iCloud / activation lock

Stolen phones are often locked to iCloud (activation lock) — the original owner locked them remotely. You can't start such a phone at all without their Apple password. The activation lock status can be checked by IMEI before buying. If it's on, don't buy the phone.

4. Watch for warning signs

The seller won't share the IMEI or serial number.
A suspiciously low price compared to the same models.
No proof of purchase and pushing for a quick deal.
Refuses an in-person handover and only wants cash-on-delivery.

Don't want to do it all by hand? Our report checks the IMEI, blacklist and iCloud and links to the Czech Police register — all in one place, within a minute.

Check a phone for 99 CZK

What to do if the phone is stolen

Don't buy it. If you've already paid and find out it's stolen, contact the police — buying stolen goods puts you at risk of losing both the phone and your money. A few minutes of checking always beats losing several thousand.