I have a Verizon Galaxy S3, not rooted, running Jelly Bean 4.1.2. I'm in Israel and have a local SIM in.

Phone works fine to call, text, and for internet. However, I cannot dial *XXX. For example, the phone number for HOT Mobile is *6053, but I can't call. Instead, I see "USSD code running" followed by "Connection problem or invalid MMI code."

The issue is not with the local carrier because these calls go through when the SIM is in another phone. I spoke to Verizon and she said she never heard of MMI code and that it's not their problem - "it's clearly a problem with the 3rd party carrier."

Has anyone encountered this issue before and know how to solve it?