Public Mobile Block My IMEI and my Sim Card

[jennlily]

Hi everyone,

I am in trouble since now more then a week. Without even trying to contact me by email or calls, public mobile locked my IMEI and Sim Card. First the person from the community center told me it was related to a charge back on my account (any money went back into my account). Now a guy from the Privacy Department told me it was for a suspiscious activity on my account. Just before this I topped up my phone (so lost $40 plan) and I also had $41 of credit for next month... apparently I lost it! They want me to buy a $37.60 voucher + $80 and send them the 12 number of the voucher to put my sim card back in service and unlock my phone. This would mean that on top of the $80 I already lost they want me to spend an other $117... 

I asked them the date the charge back have been requested to be able to send the prove no money went back into my account but apparently they are not interested about it... I am lost and do not know what to do ! I am not even sure they can legally lock my phone as I did not buy it in relation to public mobile...

I will take any advices ! Thank you in advance for your help !!!!

[Vab]

Get another carrier

[Lieux]

@jennlily What a great team of support and help did you have!! 👏👏👏👏 for each one.

[darlicious]

@jennlily 

That was weird one......one for the books one might say....happy to hear its settled.

@Anonymous 

I'll take an honourable mention maybe.....

[dabr]

@jennlily    Thanks for coming back to update your thread and clarifying that there was no one trying to scam you.  I'm sure that's a relief for the community members... 😊

[Dunkman]

@jennlily 

Thanks for the update. Interesting case.  Maybe let the moderator know that your "hold" is off and to restart your service. 

Unfortunately, the response time from moderators have been slower than usual recently. 

Let us know if there are any other issues. 

[jennlily]

Thanks everyone for your help !!!

At the end my friend called his bank and the money was on hold "somewhere" as he got a new card in between. 

So the problem was really coming from us. HOWEVER, I still think public mobile still should have send me an email or give me a call to explain me the situation and give me a chance to fix it. I got ANY information about what was happening to me m. It took A WEEK to clearly understand the problem with the moderator and I do not think this is a way to treat your clients.

But anyway the hold have been sent back to public mobile so hopefully they will be able to unlock everything tomorrow !!!

Have a great day everyone and thank you again for all your help and support

[MoreYummy]

let us know how it works at the end or the progress. it is interesting thread.

[JK8]

@jennlily 

Did the header of the email look like this in your community inbox?

[LurganIeUk]

Is it carrier unlocked?

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

 @jennlily : Were you using your own payment card to pay for your services here? Or someone elses? Do you use your payment card to pay for someone elses account?

Clever darlicious may be on to something. But you say you didn't start a chargeback. This is the seriousness of the chargeback function with payment cards. Not to be used frivolously.

And yes darlicious does remember that required method of payment after a chargeback. Because the account has used a service that they now didn't pay for.

If it was your card, can you ask your card issuer about any chargeback?

[jennlily]

Wifi is the only thing working 😕

[jennlily]

Yes this is all strange... and hard to trust someone over messages in situation like that 😕 

[jennlily]

I bought my phone in Australia, this is my private phone nothing to do with public mobile so I doubt they can legally lock it.

Nobody (in my knowledge) requested a charge back and no money was received back which is the problem (otherwise I would pay the money I owe them). 

This is all scary and I already lost $80 anyway for public mobile this month I cannot spend an other $117 this is crazy...

If you have any suggestion I am happy to hear 🙂 

Thank you so much for your time

[Anonymous]

 @HALIMACS : Mods have everything about the account and what phone is connected. I hardly think they would have done this here. Unless there's an extremely crooked mod, why would they do all this threatening and extorting and blocking and holding the phone ransom?

There's no requirement to pay. You don't pay, you don't get service. No one is going to roll you over a barrel demanding money.

No...this is a scam. For the sake of the OP, I'll be happy to eat my words once they get to the bottom of all this. I hope they report back with what all transpired to get things under control.

But I'm just another anonymous punter out here on the intertubes. What do I know.

[darlicious]

@jennlily 

A couple of questions for you.....

How and where did you purchase your phone? Was it a private sale?

Did you or someone else request a chargeback from the credit card (company) used to pay for your service? Was it approved? ( You indicated no monies were recieved.)

This sounds like the very rare occurence of a credit card chargeback that requires the user to pay by voucher or money order the chargeback funds and the renewal plan fees upfront before an account will be unlocked and service resumed. This would account for the strange but legitimate request from pm employees.

[computergeek541]

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@LurganIeUk wrote:

What kind of phone do you have? There are some websites that will tell you if your phone is carrier locked by IMEI number. 

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That could only work for an iPhone device. For any other type of device that has ever been carrier locked, there isn't anyway for carriers (or anyone else) to know if those devices have already been unlocked. That wouldn't know if someone has properly inputted the unlocking code. 

[LurganIeUk]

What kind of phone do you have? There are some websites that will tell you if your phone is carrier locked by IMEI number. 

[HALIMACS]

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@jennlily wrote:

They are all "MOD" and last one who helped me is Danny.

Thank you 

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What was the initial after "Danny"

Both Moderators named Danny have an initial after their name.

[jennlily]

I did not know about it thank you so much !!! I checked, my phone is npt blacklisted BUT no card sim is working on it (I tried 5 different ones) and public said they locked the IMEI... I do not know what to think anymore this is all crazy

[LurganIeUk]

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@jennlily wrote:

Yes and on top of it the IMEI of my phone have been lock so I cannot even use an other sim card...

I will contact moderators people adviced me to contact.... I am very desesparate but more ready to go to the police then paying for any voucher. This is crazy.

Thank you so much

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Has your phone been blacklisted? Have you checked here. https://www.devicecheck.ca

[jennlily]

Oh ! Thats amazing thank you

[HALIMACS]

@Nezgar @Anonymous @JK8 @esjliv 

Can Public Mobile LOCK a device in this manner, or simply block service to the registered SIM, such as would be done when the Lost/Stolen function is enabled?    

[jennlily]

I did 🙂 I even reset my phone just in case...

Thank yoi I feel less paranoid 😋

[jennlily]

They are all "MOD" and last one who helped me is Danny.

Thank you 

[HALIMACS]

Hi @jennlily - to help direct your replies on this site, please select the @ symbol and you will see a list of active users on the thread.   You can then select the appropriate person you're responding to such that they may be aware your response is intended for them.

[Nezgar]

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@jennlily wrote:

Yes and on top of it the IMEI of my phone have been lock so I cannot even use an other sim card...

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Are you saying they locked you out of your device? Can you even use it on Wi-Fi? Or locked completely from doing anything on the phone?

[jennlily]

I am answering to these questions to each person... they lock my account (self serve), my sim card and the IMEI of my phone. Thank yoi

[JK8]

@jennlily 

You can call me paranoid, but as a precaution I would check all my financials to ensure nothing has been compromised.

[jennlily]

Yes and on top of it the IMEI of my phone have been lock so I cannot even use an other sim card...

I will contact moderators people adviced me to contact.... I am very desesparate but more ready to go to the police then paying for any voucher. This is crazy.

Thank you so much

[HALIMACS]

@jennlily 

Please share with us the name/username of the employee from Public Mobile you believe is helping you.

If their name is legitimate, a quick username search on the Community site will confirm if they are INDEED a MOD or PM.

If they are, their user will have that designation beside their name.