Vancouver police are urging smart phone users to jot down an important ID number they can use to make their devices unusable if stolen.
Const. Brian Montague said victims of phone thefts should contact their service provider and have the phone deactivated. The service provider will then add the phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity number to a national blacklist, preventing it from being reactivated and used by anyone else.
“The blacklist is to make the market for stolen phones and other mobile devices much smaller,” Montague said, “but only if the public is aware of that blacklist and only if they use it.”
Police are asking every smart phone user to record their IMEI number, which can be accessed by checking the white label underneath the device’s battery or by dialing *#06# on most phones.
Anyone buying a second-hand phone is also advised to first check the device’s IMEI on the Protect Your Data website.
“You can put in the IMEI number and it will tell you whether that device is on the blacklist, whether it’s been lost or stolen,” Montague said.
Authorities warn that phones are natural targets for thieves because they’re highly valuable and easily stripped of personal information and resold. There were 215 wireless device robberies reported last year in Vancouver alone.
Police recommend smart phone users treat their devices like cash and never leave them lying around.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s Peter Grainger
