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Cellular Phone Forum / Country Specific / UK Group / July 2006NEWS: 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. 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." He said the majority of modern mobile phones could not be re-activated and were therefore useless once blocked. more of this at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5221326.stm  Signature"Off all the things I lost, I miss my mind the most." ~ Ozzy Osbourne > 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 [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > more of this at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5221326.stm Yer but all you have to do is change the IME number. Your average dumb street mugger wont know how to do this, but they generally sell phones to people higher up in the criminal world that know what they are doing. > Yer but all you have to do is change the IME number. > Your average dumb street mugger wont know how to do this, but they generally > sell phones to people higher up in the criminal world that know what they > are doing. Either that, or sell them abroad. Also curious as to what happens with phones bought SIM free with all the networks. I know Orange won't blacklist anything but a handset bought from them.. So mine from Expansys must be one of the two in 10 phones they won't blacklist in 48 hours :) hi group. Am sure there some sort of international organisation on the web where you can report your mobile stolen. Then they notify operators that have signed under a scheme where its blocked by their networks. Am pretty sure I read that from a mobile magazine. I remember it well as I thought it was a good idea. > > Yer but all you have to do is change the IME number. > > Your average dumb street mugger wont know how to do [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Expansys must be one of the two in 10 phones they won't > blacklist in 48 hours :) I had this out with Orange several years ago. In the end I got my MP to write to them and they did agree (I have it in writing) to block my phone and to consider changing the policy regarding other phones not bought from them. If they haven't changed the policy (and it seems that they haven't) try getting your MP involved, most of them will do anything for a little publicity. Or maybe the local press would be interested. Ivor >> Yer but all you have to do is change the IME number. >> Your average dumb street mugger wont know how to do this, but they [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > bought from them.. So mine from Expansys must be one of the two in 10 > phones they won't blacklist in 48 hours :) Seeing that the combined strength of Vodafone, O2, and T-Mobile control a large chunk of international networks, why is it such a challenge to create a more effective international blacklist? Cynical me suspects that they risk losing too much revenue if a significant proportion of mobiles suddenly become blocked. [snip] > Yer but all you have to do is change the IME number. > Your average dumb street mugger wont know how to do this, > but they generally sell phones to people higher up in the > criminal world that know what they are doing. Most newer phones have the IMEI hard-coded into a chip, so the only way of changing it would be to replace that chip. Not a simple matter unless you have expensive micro-soldering equipment and the expertise to use it. Somewhat beyond all but seriously organised gangs I would have thought, your average street kid certainly wouldn't be up to it. Ivor > [snip] > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Most newer phones have the IMEI hard-coded into a chip, so the only way of > changing it would be to replace that chip. Unfortunately, that is totally incorrect. Even many of the DCT4 Nokias that had the IMEI changers baffled for a long time can now be done with very inexpensive equipment. Signature<<< Unlock Your Phone's Potential >>> <<< www.uselessinfo.org.uk >>> <<< www.thephonelocker.co.uk >>> <<< www.gsm-solutions.co.uk >>> > 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. Whilst I totally applaud any moves to help cut this theft, I'm not entirely clear on what's new about this. As things stand already, if a handset is reported lost/stolen, it can be blacklisted on all UK networks within a timeframe I won't go into. Or am I missing something blindingly obvious? Cheers Jon. SignatureJon Pitts Email: jon@pitts50.co.uk Attachments: files@pitts50.co.uk [snip] > Whilst I totally applaud any moves to help cut this > theft, I'm not entirely clear on what's new about this. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Or am I missing something blindingly obvious? You're missing the fact that Orange, for one, will not blacklist handsets they haven't sold. I had to get my MP to write to them before they did it for me. Ivor > [snip] > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Ivor Sounds like a grey area; I've had 2 handsets stolen, turns out they caught the gang in the end. I tried my o2 and vodafone sims in them, couldn't make calls. Tried an orange one, also never worked. Perhaps Orange wont block them within the same time-frame as other networks? I was under the impression it was only t-mobile who weren't really "with it" when it came to the IMEI blacklist, which is why people flocked to them with stolen handsets in the last year or 2. > > [snip] > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Perhaps Orange wont block them within the same time-frame as other networks? AIUI Orange will block any IMEI on the blacklist. So if you report to 02 that your O2 phone has been stolen, 02 will put the phone on the blacklist and all UK networks will block it. The problem seems to be that Orange wont *add* your phone to the blacklist themselves if it isn't an Orange phone. >> Sounds like a grey area; I've had 2 handsets stolen, turns out they >> caught [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > The problem seems to be that Orange wont *add* your phone to the > blacklist themselves if it isn't an Orange phone. Couldn't you just phone another network, explain, get them to cancel with relevant documentation and proof of ownership, namely call the SIM provider, and they'll eventually pass that onto orange via the database, and orange will then blacklist it too? Some networks are getting pretty rubbish, orange is one of them, so don't be surprised at their attitude. If they can get it write. I lost my phone, so I called my operator and they got my IMEI from the last call I'd made. They then said they block it. Well, I found my phone (had left it in a shop) and it still worked... turned out they blocked someone else's by accident! Marc marcw.net usenet.user@dsl.spammepipex.com declared for all the world to hear... > 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. I thought that 100% of phones reported stolen would already be blacklisted within hours of being reported? SignatureRegards Jon > usenet.user@dsl.spammepipex.com declared for all the > world to hear... [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I thought that 100% of phones reported stolen would > already be blacklisted within hours of being reported? You work for Orange, right Jon..? Can you confirm or deny whether Orange will or will not backlist the IMEI of handsets not bought from them, i.e. SIM-free ones..? I had to get my MP involved when I had a SIM-free 6310i stolen with an Orange SIM in it. They barred the SIM ok no problem, but it took a letter with the Houses of Parliament letterhead before they barred the handset. I still have a copy of the letter in case it ever happens again. Ivor ivor@despammed.invalid declared for all the world to hear... > You work for Orange, right Jon..? Can you confirm or deny whether Orange > will or will not backlist the IMEI of handsets not bought from them, i.e. > SIM-free ones..? I'm not sure to be honest, it's quite easy to do I think. I've certainly managed it before for customers with minimal resistance. It's not to do with weather the phone was purchased from Orange or not. Take a scenario where you buy a PAYG SIM card. You register that SIM properly quoting the IMEI of the phone you intend to use. You then report it and it will get blacklisted. SignatureRegards Jon > ivor@despammed.invalid declared for all the world to hear... >> You work for Orange, right Jon..? Can you confirm or deny whether Orange [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > properly quoting the IMEI of the phone you intend to use. You then > report it and it will get blacklisted. Orange's blacklisting system didn't accept IMEI's from non-Orange handsets at one point (upto around 2 years ago). Whether or not that's changed, I don't know.. I'd guess it hasn't though. > 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. This is good news, but John Reid is most likely getting involved to set the networks up for when the crime figures go up (or don't go down). By putting the emphasis on the networks to bar the phones, it gives the Government the perfect excuse next time around; it's not THEIR fault but the likes of Vodafone, Orange etc. When he said it would help reduce street robberies (yet, this won't stop the theft of cameras and iPods) it was on the assumption that criminals steal phones to sell on in the UK. Any criminal worth his salt will sell the phone to someone that exports them, rather than try and get a few quid in a pub. These phones will be reprogrammed en masse, or sent to countries that can't afford to, or simply won't, consult the international IMEI register. I'm always surprised that the police in the UK don't properly recognise that exporting is a bigger problem than reprogramming a phone for re-use in the UK. The law will soon change on reprogramming (so you can be prosecuted for simply offering to reprogramme a phone even if you're not caught in the act) but even that might not have the desired effect of cutting the number of phones being stolen. I might be proved wrong, but sadly I doubt it. Jonathan (What Mobile magazine) |
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