Asked by: Lynell Giurca
technology and computing smartphones

Can I keep a phone I found?

Last Updated: 30th January, 2020

24
If the owner of the property does not claim it within90days, then the finder can keep it. If your state hassimilarlaws, you likely can keep the phone youfoundas long as you turn it in to the policefirst.

Click to see full answer.

Also asked, can I sell a phone I found?

No, even if you found a phone and triedtolocate its rightful owner, you should not try selling itonuSell.com. Most times, the owner of the phone hasalreadyreported it as lost or stolen, so buyers cannot resell it.Anyattempt to sell a lost or stolen device is adirectviolation of these Terms.

Also, can I put my SIM card in a phone I found? You can take the SIM card out,putit into another phone, and if someone calls yournumber, thenew phone will ring. You can alsoput adifferent SIM card in your unlockedphone, and yourphone will then work with whateverphone number andaccount is linked to that card. InEurope, almost allphones are GSM.

Thereof, what to do if I found a lost phone?

Do Return the Lost PhoneYouFound! If you find a lost phone, returning itiseasy. If you have the IMEI number, simply contactthecellular service provider and leave your contact info withthem.If you don't have the IMEI, either wait until theycalltheir own phone or you can attempt to bypass thelockpattern.

Is it stealing if you find something?

Theft by finding occurs whensomeonechances upon an object which seems abandoned and takespossessionof the object but fails to take steps to establishwhether theobject is genuinely abandoned and not merely lost orunattended. Insome jurisdictions the crime is called "larceny byfinding" or"stealing by finding".

Related Question Answers

Jenice Zylstra

Professional

Can a stolen phone be used?

You can prevent a thief from using yourmobilephone subscription just by calling your phonecompanyand telling them you lost your phone – theycanblock your device from being used. If yourphone hasa SIM, you can also prevent the thief fromusing yourstolen phone with his/her own SIM.

Rahima Ortiz De Galisteo

Professional

Can a stolen phone be activated?

A stolen phone can not typicallybeactivated.

Joselyn Chekin

Professional

Can Apple track stolen iPhone?

The good news is that Apple has softwarethatcan make it easy to track down a lostiPhone,and if it has been stolen you can use thatsoftwareto wipe the iPhone and lock it down so that yourdata isprotected.

Aiyun Halask

Explainer

Can I sell locked iPhone?

Yes, you can sell your lockediPhone– provided you can find a buyer. Everybuyback vendorwe researched requires Activation Lock to be disabledbefore theyrelease payment. That leaves the private market, whereyou mightfind a willing buyer but you likely won't get top dollarfor youriPhone.

Patrycia Makferson

Explainer

Can the police track a stolen phone?

Yes, the police can track a stolenphoneusing either your phone number or thephone's IMEI(International Mobile Equipment Identity). Youshould simply reportthis to the police and your serviceprovider. Without a GPSturned on, there is not much you cando.

Touba Garicano

Explainer

What happens if I sell a stolen phone?

The short answer to this is no, you can'tsella stolen mobile phone. That means you cannot sellaphone or tablet that you reported as stolen andthenfound again; you cannot sell a lost phone thatyouhappened to find; and you certainly cannot sellaphone that you or someone elsehasstolen.

Birgitt Strohmaier

Pundit

Is selling a blacklisted phone illegal?

To put it another way, it's not illegal tosella blacklisted phone if your the owner, it ishoweverillegal to sell a phone that don'tbelong toyou blacklisted or not. -A person can be rich inone of twoways, They can have lots of friends or lots of money, butnotboth.

Marjatta Facas

Pundit

Can you sell a locked phone at ecoATM?

In order to use ecoATM, all Applephonesmust have Find My iPhone turned off before thephone can beassessed by the kiosk. Most of the phonessold toecoATM are refurbished and given a second life,andwe cannot do that with your device if the FindMyiPhone feature is still activated.

Giada Reumuller

Pundit

How can I track my phone if I lost it?

To track your device, go to android.com/findinany browser, whether on your computer or anothersmartphone.If you're logged into your Google account you canalso justtype “find my phone” into Google. Ifyourlost device has access to the internet andlocation ison you'll be able to locate it.

Suiju Adrada

Pundit

How do you locate a lost cell phone that is turned off?

Use Google Location History – now called'Timeline'– to track your lost Android phone (even if it'sturnedoff)
  1. Your device is connected with your Google account.
  2. Your device has or had access to the internet (before itwasturned off).

Puy Songen

Pundit

What happens to a phone when you report it lost?

If your phone is stolen
You should report it to your localpolicestation as soon as you can by calling 101 or goinginperson. Your network provider will give youyourphone's identification number (IMEI), whichyoushould pass on to the police.

Dictinio Carrier

Teacher

How do you find a lost iPhone that is turned off?

Below is how to find your iPhone if it's dead usingacomputer.
  1. Connect your computer to the internet and visiticloud.com.
  2. Sign into iCloud.
  3. Locate the “Find My iPhone” icon and clickonit.
  4. Click on “All Devices” and select yourmissingiPhone.
  5. The on-screen map will show the approximate location ofyourlost iPhone.

Irune Feldhoff

Teacher

Can I track a cell phone with just a number?

To get real-time results, IMEI & GPS calltrackerscan be used to track the location of aphonecall. Apps like GPS Phone & Locate AnyPhone aregreat with tracking mobile phones, even whenthephone is not connected to the internet. You canknowthe GPS coordinates of a phone numberwithinseconds.

Lindsey Niehof

Reviewer

What to do if you find a lost iPhone?

How to get in contact with the owner of a lost orstoleniPhone
  1. If there's no passcode lock, check their recent calls.
  2. If there's a passcode, ask Siri for help.
  3. Keep the device powered on and answer incoming calls.
  4. Find the IMEI or MEID and contact their carrier.
  5. Look for a Find My iPhone message.

Mofaddal Rouco

Reviewer

What information is stored on a SIM card?

Data that SIM cards contain includeuseridentity, location and phone number, networkauthorizationdata, personal security keys, contact listsandstored text messages. SIM cards allow a mobileuserto use this data and the features that comewiththem.

Nereida Kofic

Reviewer

Do you lose apps when changing SIM card?

When you remove your SIM card fromyourphone and replace it with another card,youlose access to any information on theoriginalcard. This information is still stored on theoldcard, so any phone numbers, addresses or text messagesthatyou lose are available if you insert theoldcard into the device.

Melvin Vylegjanin

Reviewer

What happens when I put someone else's SIM card in my iPhone?

3 Answers. Text messages are stored on your phone, notonyour Sim. Therefore, if someone puts yourSimcard into their phone, they will not see any textmessages thatyou have received on your phone, unless you havemanually movedyour SMS's to your Sim.

Ithan Uppuluri

Supporter

Can you put a prepaid SIM card in a contract phone?

The short answer is yes, you will be able to useaprepaid GSM service with a GSM unlocked phone liketheSamsung Galaxy S II. Simply pop in the activated prepaidSIMcard and you should be able to make andreceivecalls.

Nabeela Brasal

Supporter

How do you tell if your phone is unlocked?

If you're greeted with a dialog boxtellingyou to enter a SIM unlock code, yourphone is SIMlocked to the carrier it was originally purchasedfrom.If you don't see an unlock code prompt,check that itsays you have service if you used avalid SIM card.If you do, your phone isprobablyunlocked.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

6

30th January, 2020

54

98% of readers found this page helpful.

4.5/5

Click a star to add your vote

Similar Asks
Trending