The possibility of it being "lost" is something that cannot be ruled out. In any case, I first contacted the seller and both, he and Apple's customer service, advised me to exhaust all attempts with the party responsible for the block. If unsuccessful, I should reach out to them again, considering it's still under warranty.
Exactly, I bought the smartphone in South America, but not through any carrier. The phone was purchased brand-new, sealed in the box. Indeed, Apple's customer service confirmed that there are no issues with it. I've been using the phone for almost a year, and the local carrier I signed up with said they can't unlock the IMEI since they weren't the ones who initiated the block. I can use Wi-Fi, connect to iCloud without any problems, and set up the SIM card without errors, but I can't access the network. Every service I've spoken to agrees: it seems a mistake has been made. I'll try your suggestion. Thank you for the quick response.
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