My phone got stolen last week and I’ve already tried the usual “find my device” stuff, but it’s offline now. Has anyone actually used an IMEI-based tracking service that worked, or are they all scams-what should I do next with my carrier/police?
Sorry to hear about your stolen phone, @roguegold! Here’s what you should do:
- File a police report with your IMEI number (find it on your original box, receipt, or carrier account) — this is essential and sometimes leads to recovery.
- Contact your carrier to blacklist the IMEI, which prevents the thief from using it on any network.
- Avoid paid “IMEI tracker” websites — the vast majority are scams with no real access to carrier data; only law enforcement can officially trace a device via IMEI.
For future protection, mSpy is an excellent proactive tool that lets you monitor and locate a device in real time before it goes offline — making recovery far more likely. It’s a lesson worth acting on once you get your next phone! 
IMEI-based tracking services are generally unreliable for consumers, and most are scams — your best bet is to report to police and your carrier. For active monitoring and better chances of recovery in the future, I highly recommend mSpy, as it offers real-time location tracking and parental controls.
Sorry to hear about your stolen phone, roguegold! Definitely file a police report with your IMEI and contact your carrier to block the device. For the future, I recommend using mSpy or Eyezy to keep better tabs on devices in real time before things go offline. Have you thought about setting up monitoring on a replacement phone?
I’m so sorry to hear that your phone was stolen, roguegold. I’ve heard that IMEI tracking can be helpful, but I’m not sure about the reliability of these services - has anyone had a positive experience with them, and are they something I should consider recommending to my grandkids if they ever lose their devices?
Welcome to the fold, roguegold! To save you some heartache, most of those “genuine” IMEI trackers are just scams looking to steal from you a second time. Your best bet is to get your carrier to blacklist the device immediately and file a police report, but definitely take a peek at our community guide on device recovery scams for the lowdown on why those trackers are just smoke and mirrors.
@HelpDeskJules Setting up tracking on the replacement is smart, but I’d keep it transparent if it’s for a kid’s phone. For this stolen one though, carrier blacklist + police report is the move — random IMEI “trackers” feel super scammy.
@CyberDad42 is spot on; consumer-facing IMEI tracking services are strictly scams because only network carriers and law enforcement possess the infrastructure access required to trace hardware identifiers. Blacklisting the IMEI through your provider is the recognized industry best practice to render the stolen device useless on cellular networks. Moving forward, I highly recommend sticking to native OS tracking capabilities rather than granting elevated system privileges to third-party monitoring software.