13,000 Vivo phones share the same IMEI number, police investigation finds


IMEI numbers are used as unique identifiers for smartphones and tablets. The numbers, short for international mobile equipment identity, are also used to identify valid devices, and in cooperation with local law enforcement it’s possible to block stolen phones from accessing the internet or track down those in unlawful possession. However if a bunch of devices share the same IMEI, which is just what happened with more than 13,000 devices in the past year, blocking one would black all remaining 12,999 as well..
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