What to look for in avoiding the AT&T-imposed $25/month smartphone IMEI penalty?

What 'else' should I consider when buying a Craigslist iPhone 3G or 3GS for use in avoiding the AT&T smartphone $25/month IMEI penalty plan?

I'm strongly considering dropping AT&T in favor of T-Mobile due to the AT&T "smartphone IMEI policy".

This policy says AT&T will automatically add their $25/month data plan if you place your SIM card into any (note the word "any") cellphone that they consider a "smartphone" (based purely on IMEI lookup tables).

My goal is to buy a Craigslist iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS for my teen's birthday next month. He only "needs" a keyboard (for extensive texting) & apps & the web while at a WiFi hotspot.

I should be able to provide him all that using just a voice-only + text plan (i.e., I see no need for a 'data' plan).

Almost all the Craigslist iPhones appear to be both unlocked & jailbroken, so, my assumption is that is what I'll be getting him.

Researching a bit, I find the Chinese-built iPhones (apparently) do not do WiFi (e.g., Model A1325, & A1324), so I'll avoid those. Likewise I'll avoide the CDMA iPhones (e.g., Model A1349) since I will be on GSM.

But, what else should I look out for in buying an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS off of Craigslist for use in avoiding the AT&T-imposed $25 smartphone IMEI penalty?

NOTE: I considered trying to figure out how to change the iPhone IMEI number to that of a non-smartphone (say, a Motorola RAZR); but I failed in trying to find a DIY that showed me how to spoof the iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS IMEI number.

Reply to
arkland
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That's good to know!

Reply to
SF Man

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