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Wee Gordon
28-07-2006, 03:29 PM
Stolen mobiles 'will be blocked'

Around 80% of mobile phones will be blocked on all five UK networks within 48 hours of being reported stolen in future, industry leaders have pledged.

The pledge is part of a charter aimed at reducing mobile phone crime launched by the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) and phone networks.

It takes effect by this year's end but will not extend to foreign networks.

Home Secretary John Reid welcomed the move and pledged £1.35m in funding for a specialist national phone crime unit.

Jack Wraith, who chairs the MICAF, said networks had been made "accountable".

He acknowledged blocking was already commonplace when a phone was stolen but told BBC News: "Currently there is no accountability on networks where blocking phones is concerned.

"They are now answerable and they will get named and shamed by us if they fail to stick to the charter.

"I have every faith that they will do their best to meet the criteria laid down in the charter."

Less attractive

He said the majority of modern mobile phones could not be re-activated and were therefore useless once blocked.

Mr Wraith stressed the move was intended to dissuade those who would consider buying a stolen phone.

Meanwhile, the home secretary said: "I welcome this commitment by the mobile phone industry leaders to make mobile phones less attractive to thieves and demonstrate their clear commitment to their customers' safety."

Mr Reid went on: "I believe the public should be free to carry valuable items, such as mobile phones and MP3 players, on the streets without fear of becoming a target for robbers.

"Today there are 21,000 fewer robberies on the streets than five years ago. We are determined to drive robbery levels down even further."

But a rise in young people carrying mobile phones and MP3 players was blamed for street robberies and muggings jumping by 8% last year, according to police figures.

The five UK networks involved in the charter are Vodafone, O2, T Mobile, Orange, and 3.









Story from BBC NEWS

mohamm
28-07-2006, 06:01 PM
currently what happens is that stolen phones are taken and exported to asian countries ... and their they work perfectly

i took 5 in my pocket when i went pak! and i always have 3 in my pocket anyway!

when we landed at Lahore airport (diversion as too foggy in Islamabad) the guard checked me (they didnt have those metal detector things), touched my pocket and goes, what the hell you got in here!

i said everything ... so he didnt bother checking me

Shipoftheline
28-07-2006, 06:06 PM
Or you can just change the imei number

mohamm
28-07-2006, 06:08 PM
can you really? how do u do that?

DessertDog
28-07-2006, 06:13 PM
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lol

bladesftp
28-07-2006, 06:17 PM
no talk of imei changing please

aporter1985
30-07-2006, 01:25 PM
If they have already had the technology to do so then why are they not doing this already?

Shipoftheline
30-07-2006, 01:44 PM
If they have already had the technology to do so then why are they not doing this already?
I think Orange have been doing it for sometime not 100%

hakz
30-07-2006, 05:42 PM
It's illegal but possible

tersace
10-08-2006, 01:25 PM
They don't get exported to Asian countries only, anywhere outside UK they will work, a lot go to Europe.

Orange & O2 have been blocking them within 48 hours for a while now, but it took T-mobile and Vodafone a few weeks to block them, so hence a thief could put a Vodafone sim in the phone and sell it to someone who is none the wiser

Regards

teracir
20-11-2006, 06:50 PM
i had mine stoln but could not do anything abouyt it because i wasing a PAYG mobile with a contract sim. all i got was a bill for ?15 for a new sim

y2krog2000
20-11-2006, 07:23 PM
If they have already had the technology to do so then why are they not doing this already?

I worked for BT Mobile about 2 years ago and they blacklisted all lost or stolen phones that were reported to them they also done it if you didnt pay your bill.

Blacklisting a phone makes it useless unless you know someone that works for the phone company who could take it of the blacklist, was told by someone in the phone shop the only way they could fix the phone so someone else could use it was to put new stuff inside it, I dont know what he was talking about but think he ment the circuit board.

teracir
20-11-2006, 07:25 PM
i think he ment using someone elses IMEI number and programming it over that phone and thus making it usable again.