Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Britain Campaigns Against Mobile Phone Theft

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2003 15:41:54 -0400

Britain Campaigns Against Mobile Phone Theft

British law enforcement, government ministers and wireless network operators
teamed to crack down on U.K.'s growing problem of mobile phone theft. The group is
collaborating on the "Immobilise" campaign, aimed at investigating mobile phone
theft and targeting criminal reprogramming of stolen wireless phones. "Immobilise"
will be marketed throughout the country, raising awareness of the lost and stolen
phone issues.
============================================================
Thu 17 July 2003 03:31PM BST
Crackdown on mobile phone
theft stepped up
Dodgy insurance claims also to be targeted…

Police, government ministers
and network operators have
pledged to step up the
crackdown on mobile phone
theft.

Plans include setting up a joint intelligence
cell to investigate handset theft and target
the criminal reprogramming of stolen
phones.

The future of the lost and stolen phones
database is secure after a guarantee from
the GSM Association and ministers said
other countries will be encouraged to
participate in order to try and get full
coverage of the European market.

The 'Immobilise' campaign to get people to
report and block stolen phones will be
continued and events to raise awareness of
the database, which can block mobile
phones on any network even if the SIM card
has been changed, will be held around the
country.

Ministers also secured a guarantee by the
mobile industry to reduce to a minimum level
existing non-unique IMEI numbers present
on their networks by the end of the year.
IMEI numbers are the identifying tags for
phones, and the fact that many mobiles
currently share the same number makes it
difficult for operators to block those with a
non-unique IMEI.

Ecommerce minister Stephen Timms said in a
statement: "We were particularly
encouraged by the efforts of the networks
and manufacturers to continue to make the
IMEI numbers tamper proof.”

But he warned that while the crackdown on
phone thiefs would continue, those who
fraudulently submit insurance claims would
also be targeted.

He said: “We also discussed the problem of
false insurance claims and agreed that this
would be the subject of further action.
Government and industry cannot do this
alone, we also need mobile 'phone users to
play their part and take responsibility for the
safety of their phones. They must also be
clear that false reporting for insurance
purposes will not be tolerated."

Andy McCue

http://www.silicon.com/news/500022/1/5195.html

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