Wireless Companies Plan To Disable Stolen Phones

Today, smartphones have become an important part of our lives. We become worried and frustrated whenever we lose our cell phones or have them stolen.

Until recently, the real owners of a cell phone could contact the cell phone carrier to have the service suspended on their stolen phones. But the thief or the purchaser of the phone could easily get the cell phone reactivated under a new name.

Recently, Verizon and Sprint activated stolen cell phone databases. This has enabled smartphone users to get their stolen phones blocked by reporting them to the relevant carrier. The cell phone service providers will start sharing data on stolen smartphones with each other by the 30th of November 2013.

This new system monitors the unique identification number of each phone. This number is similar to the VIN on an automobile.

A few years back, cell phone service providers would block SIM cards in order to make the stolen cells useless. But the problem was that the thief would use another SIM card to use the phone.

Cell phone service providers will start checking the database prior to reactivating a smartphone. The database will turn a stolen cell phone into a useless piece of plastic, and the thief will not be able to resell it either.

If the real owner finds his or her smartphone, he or she can have it reactivated by providing proof of identity.