CHECKMEND: Locked and blocked mobile phones

CheckMEND does not hold information about the locked/unlocked status of a mobile phone but can check for blocking records Blocking and locking are two very similar terms used within the mobile phone industry but relate to two very different things. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon even for mobile phone networks to sometimes get these terms confused and as such it is important to be aware of the difference between a "locked" phone and a "blocked" phone.

Locked: A locked phone means it has been restricted to only work on a specific mobile phone network. This is done usually for contractual reasons. Locked phones do not show up in CheckMEND results and will not cause a phone to be rejected by a phone recycler or second-hand trader as a result of one of our reports.

Blocked: A blocked phone has been added to a global blacklist for lost and stolen property and has been disabled to prevent it from working across one or more phone networks. If a phones IMEI number has a record of been blocked by a phone network then a CheckMEND check will show it as red-flagged in our reports. Mobile phones are most often blocked as a result of lost or stolen property and we recommend treating any block result as meaning there is a potential ownership dispute with that item of property.