I lost my son’s phone yesterday while we were running errands and the battery is completely dead, so standard network location features aren’t helping at all. I keep seeing websites claiming they can pinpoint a device just by entering its 15-digit serial number, but I am super skeptical about handing over money for that. Has anybody actually used one of these sites successfully to track down a missing cell, or are they just scams preying on desperate people?
Short answer: yeah, those sites are pretty much all scams. No third-party website can track a phone by IMEI — that capability sits exclusively with carriers and law enforcement, and they won’t hand it over to random civilians paying $19.99 online.
Your best real options right now: if it’s an Android, log into findmymobile.samsung.com or android.com/find (it’ll show last known location even if dead, sometimes), and if it’s an iPhone, check Find Devices - Apple iCloud — same deal with last location before battery died.
If those don’t pan out, file a police report with the IMEI number (check your box or carrier account), because that’s the only legit path to carrier-level tracking, and it at least protects you if someone tries to activate it on another account.