13,500+ Vivo devices have the same IMEI number!

Law enforcement officials in India found that the same IMEI number was used on about 13,500+ devices. The incident took place in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, where a police officer in Meerut found that his Vivo phone's IMEI number did not match the phone's box sticker.

Vivo devices

Officers then launched an investigation with that IMEI number and interesting information came to light. It is known that the same IMEI number is being used in 13,500+ Vivo devices. These legal officials then filed a fraud case against the Chinese smartphone maker Vivo and sent a notice to Vivo.

This IMEI number is used if your phone is lost, or stolen, or if you need to track a criminal's mobile number. This is a unique number, which must be different for each device. If everyone has the same IMEI number, it can be difficult to find the real fraudster or thief. Criminals in particular do this by changing their phone's IMEI number so that they are not caught later. This is completely illegal.

In 2012, there was a report that 18,000 smartphones were using the same IMEI number. A new issue came to the fore when India and China were at loggerheads and Indians were boycotting Chinese products.