International Mobile Station Equipment Identity

Probably this may be useful when you have lost your phone. Just type *#06# in your dialpad to get IMEI number and everyone must note it for safety. If you have this 15 digit number you can erase all the data even when you have lost the phone or even the thief changed the SIM.

The International Mobile Station Equipment Identity or IMEI /aɪˈmiː/[1] is a number, usually unique,[2][3] to identify 3GPP (i.e., GSM, UMTS and LTE) and iDEN mobile phones, as well as some satellite phones. It is usually found printed inside the battery compartment of the phone, but can also be displayed on-screen on most phones by entering *#06#on the dialpad, or alongside other system information in the settings menu on smartphone operating systems.

The IMEI number is used by a GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing that network. For example, if amobile phone is stolen, the owner can call his or her network provider and instruct them to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. This renders the phone useless on that network and sometimes other networks too, whether or not the phone's SIM is changed.

International Mobile Station Equipment Identity