Your phone's unique identification number, known as the IMEI, is the one you would never want anyone else to use for their identity. If you lose your phone, or it gets stolen, the chances of your phone being used for illegal activities are high. This could create troubles and issues for you. The number of calls made using your phone can be tracked, and it will be believed that the calls were made by you.

If you ever lose your mobile phone, you must contact the network operator to get the necessary information so that it can be blocked and unusable. This will prevent unauthorized persons from using it. Your mobile identity will remain intact.

Recently, many phones in the country were identified as not having the necessary numbers to be recognized as an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) number. These types of phones made it difficult for the authorities to track them down.

The increasing number of phones with the same IMEI number being used in more than two devices has become a bigger threat to network operators. Because of this, they are now considering banning these types of phones. Even though knowing the correct number can help prevent a device from being banned, it still becomes hard for network operators to prevent these types of phones from being used.

The primary purpose of an international mobile equipment identity number is to identify a device. Its secondary purpose is to prevent unauthorized persons from changing the SIM card of a device. Since these numbers are hard to change, they prevent unauthorized persons from affecting a device's communication capabilities.

When a carrier learns that a device has been stolen and its unique identification number (IMEI) has been used, it can blacklist the device and prevent it from using its network. This usually happens when the phone is issued by the carrier. If you buy a device that's not included with the carrier's plan, then you might be on your own. The carrier might not have the necessary legal permission to blacklist the phone's IEP.

Be it an Android phone or iPhone, type *#06# from the dial pad and press call. This will immediately display the device info on the screen. Android phones have this information stored in the about phone section of the phone, while iPhones have it stored in General> about.

An alternative way to find the IMEI number is to check on the box in which you received your phone. Or you could find it in the SIM slot.