Apple provides very useful services to find out if your iPhone is stolen, but you need to have the IMEI code or serial number of the smartphone
"I sell perfectly working iPhone X for 300 euros", "Exchange iPhone X for Nokia 3310. Fully functional smartphone". What's wrong with these ads? The price. The iPhone X, although it was launched on the market in September 2017, still has a market value of more than 600-700 euros. If you find an online ad with a much lower price, it is very likely that the iPhone is stolen.
Before buying an iPhone at a discounted price, you need to understand if the device turns out to be stolen. How to do that? It is not too complicated, just use one of the services provided by Apple and have two very important data available: the IMEI code of the smartphone and the serial number of the iPhone. If you don't have this information, you'll have to request it from the seller before completing the purchase. If, on the other hand, you received an iPhone as a gift that doesn't work and doesn't allow you to make calls, you should check if it is stolen or locked by the previous owner before taking it to a service center. In this case the IMEI code and the serial number of the smartphone are in your possession.
How to find the IMEI code of your iPhone
The IMEI code (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a 15-digit code used to uniquely identify a smartphone. If you have received an iPhone as a gift and you want to check if it is locked, just go to Settings, then General and finally press Info. In the screen that will open, you will find the 15 numbers that identify the IMEI code of the iPhone.
To get the IMEI code you can also use a shortcut: open the dialer of the smartphone and type the code *#06# and on the screen will appear the 15 digits.
How to find the serial number of the iPhone
To find out the serial number of the iPhone in your possession, the procedure is very simple. Go to Settings, then General and finally Info. In addition to the IMEI code, you will also find the serial number.
In case you are not in possession of the smartphone, you can request the IMEI code and serial number from the owner, so you can do the verification.
How to find out if iPhone is stolen
To find out if the iPhone is stolen, you need to access Apple's trade-in service. By entering the IMEI code or serial number of the iPhone, Apple will tell us if it is possible to trade-in the device. If the answer is negative, it means that the iPhone has been blocked by the rightful owner because it was stolen or because he lost it. To carry out the verification, you need to access the page of the GiveBack service and enter the data of the iPhone in our possession.
Alternative services to find out if your iPhone is stolen
In addition to the GiveBack service you can call Apple customer service and ask the operator to perform a check on the iPhone received as a gift or that you want to buy.
Another very useful service is provided by the website iPhoneRubato: just enter the serial number of the smartphone and check if it is present in their database. In case there are any matches, then it will mean that the iPhone is stolen and you'd better desist from buying it.