PSA: Here’s why you shouldn’t let strangers with smart glasses use your pho

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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority


TL;DR

• A Redditor has shared what appears to be a more sophisticated IMEI scam.
• The user claimed that a stranger with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses asked to make a call from their phone, but accessed the device’s IMEI number.
• It almost goes without saying that you shouldn’t let strangers use your phone for any claimed reason.

All smartphones have an IMEI number, which is effectively the phone’s ID number. Unfortunately, cybercriminals and other bad actors often steal IMEI numbers to facilitate crimes. Now, a Redditor has outlined a rather crazy IMEI scam.

Redditor Prudent-Vacation-581 reported that a person with Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses recently asked to make a call from their phone. The Redditor reported that the stranger instead dialed *#06#, which reveals the device’s IMEI number, gave the phone back, and “ran away.” The user received a pop-up on their phone the following day, noting that the device is now unlocked.




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