Umm, CDMA carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, and Metro PCS do block usage of the phones when a customer reports it lost or stolen. ESN's have that ability. SIM card's do not. People choose AT&T or T-Mobile over the ease of swapping from phone to phone by just swapping out the SIM card as opposed to taking 5 minutes to go online and deactivate the ESN of the currently in use phone and activating the ESN of the replacement/new phone in its place.

"What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

approves.

Australians own businesses
vs.
Businesses own America.

If you use MobileMe/iCloud/iWhateverProcess to wipe/lock your iPhone, does the thief swapping the SIM card make it usable again?

Or can they just plug it into iTunes, reset it, and get off scott free?

imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

So thieves can go bowling. Duh.

This actually happens right now. If you report your device stolen the ESN/MEID of the device will be flagged and blocked by the wireless provider and those numbers will be forwarded to a central pool of stolen devices that all wireless carriers can access.

This should prevent theft since the devices are useless when tracked this way accept.....

Not all carriers check those common lists. I am looking squarely at the third-party carriers - MetroPCS, Cricket... If you steal a Verizon or Sprint phone you can take it directly to a Cricket store, flash the device with their software, and activate the MEID or ESN on their network. Boom. They have you as a customer and didn't have to subsidize the cost of the equipment you will use. I have seen estimates that half of all Cricket phones came from Sprint or Verizon. T-mobile will also lend a blind eye to customer-provided ATT phones. Anything for an activation. As long as these smaller companies are allowed to benefit from stolen equipment from other providers there will always be a secondary market which encourages thieves.

/eight years in wireless

Also, I don't buy the 'phone companies don't care because stolen phones are potential sales' argument. If that were really the case, the phone companies wouldn't work so hard to discourage unlocked phones.

boobsrgood: Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Captialism: A perfect system that will last forever with no consequences.

New Capitalizm (new window)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ft822rDlu5Q/TL1jv8a-JoI/AAAAAAAAB1M/T9E6Njn b Glg/s1600/dedication.jpg

Satanic_Hamster: imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

So thieves can go bowling. Duh.

You would think. I had some hope of finding mine in an alley - a bowling alley. Talking to some owners though, I found out I was more likely to find them in a street alley. Turns out the balls are usually destroyed by teens who just use 'em to break stuff.

Were Aussie telecoms forced to do this or did they just do the right thing from the start? And what does that say about the mindset of those in charge of American companies?

imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

Because there are so many uses for bowling balls. You can use them as water features, (p) man sized pool tables, (p) or just simple art projects. (see http://www.flickriver.com/groups/685138@N21/pool/interesting/- here - here.

boobsrgood: Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Captialism: A perfect system that will last forever with no consequences.

OK smartass, name one system that works well when thievery is involved.

Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Please, please think of those poor, poor little stockholders missing out on their dividends, would you? Not letting these guys make their millions is pretty much communism.

Corporations should be allowed to screw their customers because THE INVISIBLE HAND etc....

Yeah, riiiight.

How about they don't pay the sales reps enough to tell a customer they have a stolen item and they must report it? Most pee-ons are unwilling to get into that situation

Vanakatherock: Umm, CDMA carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, and Metro PCS do block usage of the phones when a customer reports it lost or stolen. ESN's have that ability. SIM card's do not.


You know how I know you have no idea what you're talking about? Because you said this.

The ESN is burned into the device on GSM devices, the same as on CDMA devices. US carriers have the ability to blacklist the ESN, but they won't do it? Why? For the exact reasons listed in the article.

And, yes, I know it is possible to change the ESN of a CDMA or GSM device, but it's A LOT harder than swapping a SIM.

Philbb: imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

Because there are so many uses for bowling balls. You can use them as water features, (p) man sized pool tables, (p) or just simple art projects. (see http://www.flickriver.com/groups/685138@N21/pool/interesting/- here - here.

Cool stuff.

Note to self: If you meet anyone with 'bowling ball art', punch them in the face. Just in case.

imprimere: OK smartass, name one system that works well when thievery is involved.

Socialism?

And I just had a brain skid. GSM devices have IMEIs, not ESNs. US carriers can blacklist IMEIs, but choose not to for the reasons listed in the article.

Everything else i said was right.

C.W. Nevius is a moron, but adding a theft-lock to the software is actually a good idea.

It wouldn't stop rings of smart criminals but it could deter small-time thieves. Even just forcing the carriers to keep a list of database phones would have some impact.

imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

People steal bowling balls?

Day_Old_Dutchie: Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Please, please think of those poor, poor little stockholders missing out on their dividends, would you? Not letting these guys make their millions is pretty much communism.

Corporations should be allowed to screw their customers because THE INVISIBLE HAND etc....

Yeah, riiiight.

Ah, I see that you are one of the cannibals. I think we'll have you for dinner next.

Philbb: imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

Because there are so many uses for bowling balls. You can use them as water features, (p) man sized pool tables, (p) or just simple art projects. (see http://www.flickriver.com/groups/685138@N21/pool/interesting/- here - here.

Some bowling balls are expensive. They are also needed for cannon ball props.

if you were stupid enough to buy an iphone in the first place, you must have enough money to buy a new one. fark you.

I've bought half a dozen or so used phones off of Craigslist, and have had great success.

The Verizon and Sprint phone sellers are all very quick to assure that the ESN is clear, and that takes a great deal of worry out of the purchase.

The T-Mobile and AT&T dealers say none of that. No mention of whether the phone may be stolen or not. And I do know that at T-Mobile at least, T-Mobile DOES have some sort of internal, unpublished lists of blocked IMEIs. That's clear if you search their support forums for blocked IMEI.

The IMEIs may be blocked because the phone was stolen, or almost worse, they are blocked because the bills were not paid, and won't be unblocked even if the phone is now in the hands of a new paying customer.

In either case, if you come up with a phone that has a blocked IMEI, unlike with Sprint or Verizon sellers on ebay, you're on your own getting your money back. You have to rely on ebay and/or paypal protection, which might take weeks if not longer and which is not guaranteed.

I have a phone now, that after I purchased it and it arrived, I felt pretty sure was a lost or stolen phone, that's because it's only a few months old and yet it came with an after-market charger that's not really meant for it.

I'm actually not very thrilled to be using a phone that might have been stolen,but T-Mobile could not have cared less about it. They activated it right up.

Vanakatherock: Umm, CDMA carriers such as Verizon, Sprint, and Metro PCS do block usage of the phones when a customer reports it lost or stolen. ESN's have that ability. SIM card's do not. People choose AT&T or T-Mobile over the ease of swapping from phone to phone by just swapping out the SIM card as opposed to taking 5 minutes to go online and deactivate the ESN of the currently in use phone and activating the ESN of the replacement/new phone in its place.

AT&E et al are full of shiat, every sim card phone also has an IMEI which is tied to the phone

bahknee: imprimere: "What it means is stealing a phone is a complete waste of time," Markey said. "Although the thief could probably use it as a paperweight."

Yeah, a paperweight that functions like a PDA or handheld gaming system. There is still some value to a great many of today's phones. There would be some reduction in this crime, but let's face it - thieves often still without a lot of thought. Why do bowling balls get stolen so often???

People steal bowling balls?

Yes, and sadly, more often than you'd likely have thought.

Americwn conpanies do and dont do this. I had a sprint phone, and didnt renew when the contract ended, a friends phone broke and.needed a.back up until her.new one arrived. Was gonna let her use mine and.sprint had done something so that the phone would.never work again EVAR.
Had an ugly break up with an ex, he turned off my the phone that i paid for with my own money but was on his account, and sprint bought it off me for more than i paid for it originally. Yay me. : )

ZAZ: If thefts are driven by demand they should decline as ownership approaches saturation. There are now more cell phones in Australia than people, if you believe the statistic in the article.

The sheep have them as well apparently.

some_beer_drinker: you must have enough money to buy a new one

Because iPhones are so much more expensive than other smartphones?

Sprint employee here... It's pretty routine for us to have people bring in phones from Craigslist or pawn shops and find out the esn is blocked, so they can't activate the equipment. Changing it is possible, but highly illegal.

And changing the imei is illegal as well, so AT&T and t-mobile should be able to block stolen equipment, but I'm not sure if they do.

We don't check gsm devices when we buy them back from customers though, so we may be buying stolen phones, but it's store credit only, so there's not much a thief can do with it.

bulldg4life: some_beer_drinker: you must have enough money to buy a new one

Because iPhones are so much more expensive than other smartphones?

Perhaps they are referring to the endless line of proprietary accessories that goes with everything Apple?

boobsrgood: imprimere: boobsrgood: Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Captialism: A perfect system that will last forever with no consequences.

OK smartass, name one system that works well when thievery is involved.

Justice. Not "just us". Justice.

OK, I'll play. Just where in the world in the Justice system successfully employed?

imprimere: bulldg4life: some_beer_drinker: you must have enough money to buy a new one
Because iPhones are so much more expensive than other smartphones?
Perhaps they are referring to the endless line of proprietary accessories that goes with everything Apple?

That doesn't go with the "iphones are so expensive" nonsense though.

They cost $200 with a contract and have a USB cable just like all the other smartphones.

imprimere: boobsrgood: imprimere: boobsrgood: Companies would never want to admit that stolen phones are good for their bottom line. And they don't have a good excuse for why they can't implement something that has been successful in Australia.

Captialism: A perfect system that will last forever with no consequences.

OK smartass, name one system that works well when thievery is involved.

Justice. Not "just us". Justice.

OK, I'll play. Just where in the world in is the Justice system successfully employed?

Bed time, she approaches.

Whoo boy could you imagine the fun someone could have in Australia on a family plan if their spouse was caught cheating? Nothing says fun like bricking out a cell phone out of spite.

/or a debit card

JattMackson: Australians own businesses
vs.
Businesses own America.

3) Crikey! Australia owns America!

So iPhones are like dildos?

bulldg4life: imprimere: bulldg4life: some_beer_drinker: you must have enough money to buy a new one
Because iPhones are so much more expensive than other smartphones?
Perhaps they are referring to the endless line of proprietary accessories that goes with everything Apple?

That doesn't go with the "iphones are so expensive" nonsense though.

They cost $200 with a contract and have a USB cable just like all the other smartphones.

I was suggesting that maybe they were using association to justify iphone users having "too much" money.

Also, the iphone (to the best of my knowledge as I don't own one) doesn't have a USB cable just like all the other smartphones. The USB side is the same, but the connector at the other end is unique to the iphone.

fracas: JattMackson: Australians own businesses
vs.
Businesses own America.

3) Crikey! Australia owns America!

And here I thought it was the Japanese Chinese.

fusillade762: So iPhones are like dildos?

yes. you are farked if you buy one.