Can I get Google to trace or bar the IMEI on my lost or stolen device?

runswithascript

Hi

I am on holiday in Sicily at the moment and my girlfriend either lost my Nexus 7 tablet or left it down somewhere, the latter of which is unlikely although someone forgot to sign up for cheap travel insurance when she was ordering the tickets!

A Dutch couple told us last night that Visa covered an Apple MacBook that they lost or had stolen from them in the past. I am pursuing this but I think it is a long shot on our Visa Debit.

We have been back to everywhere we were, had CCTV checked and even spoken to the taxi driver that dropped us to the hotel. The hotel rang the police and it seemed they found the receptionist's question funny. I can track the GPS using Google Location History and Android Device Manager but there are no records since the afternoon of the evening we last had it as the device only has WiFi connectivity and nobody can connect it to WiFi as the screen is locked, or the battery is dead, or they have erased the the device in which case tracking will not work.

Assuming I can look up the IMEI somehow, is there anyway I can have Google bar the IMEI number and/or alert me if someone logs into their services using my tablet?

DesperateDan

Hmm IMEI's are only in devices with sims I believe, so a Nexus 7 would have no IMEI.

I'm assuming this is of no use to you because you haven't set it up right?

DesperateDan

Oh and the most important thing I can suggest is to update passwords on everything now, gmail especially and social netorks.

vibe666

An IMEI is only for phones.

The Wi-Fi card on your tablet will have an individual MAC address, but I doubt very much you could trace it, if you even knew what it was.

unless there's specific software on it set up to trace it in event it is lost, I'm afraid you're SOL unless you paid for the flights using a credit card with holiday insurance built in maybe?

runswithascript

DesperateDan wrote: »

I'm assuming this is of no use to you because you haven't set it up right?

No I did not set it up although it would appear one does not need to. It works, although it was only able to locate and communicate with my phone as the Nexus 7 was Wi-Fi only, not mobile data capable. Same for Google Location History it would seem.

DesperateDan wrote: »

Oh and the most important thing I can suggest is to update passwords on everything now, gmail especially and social netorks.

Thanks, I mistakenly had the screen lock disabled for looking at recipes when cooking etc so changing passwords was one of the first things I did. Next time the screen lock stays on, there's probably some setting or app where by it can be easily disabled for 5 minutes etc. I am also going to root and encrypt the partitions on the new tablet.

vibe666 wrote: »

The Wi-Fi card on your tablet will have an individual MAC address, but I doubt very much you could trace it, if you even knew what it was.

.
I probably have it in an ARP table log somewhere but presently Google have no way to locate or bar etc by MAC address, which they really, really should. It is probably reset by now and connected to someone's Wi-Fi, communicating with Google's servers using the same MAC. It was put to me Google may incur a fiscal loss if such a service existed.

vibe666 wrote: »

unless there's specific software on it set up to trace it in event it is lost, I'm afraid you're SOL unless you paid for the flights using a credit card with holiday insurance built in maybe?

I have Prey on my phone but I forgot to install it on the tablet. That said you can track without Prey using Google Location History and lock, locate, and reset via Android Device manager, although I could not as I did not have the mobile data version of the Nexus.

She forgot the travel insurance! :rolleyes:

coylemj

dusf wrote: »

I would love to know where they got so many to sell cheap enough to turn a profit despite selling ~€165 below the RRP.

No doubt the person who bought your lost/stolen Nexus for a knock-down price is asking himself the same question.

vibe666