OCgringo Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 this was on BBS website , just wondering why stolen Thai phones could not be blocked too, all phones have an unique ESN number (electronic serial number) so blocking is not a big deal on the technical side.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5221326.stm 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. That pledge is part of a charter to reduce phone crime launched by the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum. It will take effect by the year's end but will not apply to foreign networks. Police have warned that, while it is now more difficult than in the past, blocked phones can still be illegally re-activated in the UK. Networks 'accountable' 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. "The networks 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." Mr Wraith stressed the move was intended to dissuade those who would consider buying a stolen phone. He said the majority of modern mobile phones could not be re-activated and were therefore useless once blocked. 'Harder to reprogramme' But Det Insp Kenny McDonald, of the Met Police's Mobile Phone Crime Unit, said it was still possible to find out on the internet how to re-activate phones or to pay someone illegally to do it. "A lot of work has been done by manufacturers to make it a lot harder to re-programme phones," he told the BBC News website. But he said it was difficult to say whether there would ever be a point where it would be impossible to illegally re-programme a mobile phone. Those convicted under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act 2002 can face up to five years in prison. Home Secretary John Reid welcomed the MICAF move and pledged £1.35m in funding for a specialist national phone crime unit. Ministerial pledge He said: "I welcome this commitment by the mobile phone industry leaders to make mobile phones less attractive to thieves and demonstrate their clear commitment to their customers' safety." Mr Reid went on: "I believe the public should be free to carry valuable items, such as mobile phones and MP3 players, on the streets without fear of becoming a target for robbers. "Today there are 21,000 fewer robberies on the streets than five years ago. We are determined to drive robbery levels down even further." But a rise in young people carrying mobile phones and MP3 players was blamed for street robberies and muggings jumping by 8% last year, according to police figures. The five UK networks involved in the charter are Vodafone, O2, T Mobile, Orange, and 3. OC PS....I bet the phones for sale on Ebay UK will take a dive..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted July 31, 2006 Report Share Posted July 31, 2006 Follow the money. If blocked, then the phones will not generate renenue for the service providers. That's what they care about, not any social concerns regarding lowering crime. I'm sure the mobile phone service provider lobby is far stronger than the anti-crime lobby here in LoS (and prolly USA too). Don't expect it in either place soon, IMHO. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pom Michael Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Actually, if you remember in the beginning, only the "blocked" phones would work on the Thai AIS network. This is how they prevented your overseas phone from using a Thai AIS sim card. This ESN number was how the database knew if your phone was a legally imported one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 We've an european system which police in each country use for blocking stolen mobiles, I think they use a satellite for that . What I understand they use the IMEI, never heard of ESN. Many stolen and lost mobiles end up in Thailand and other asian countries without the reach for the european system. You can change the IMEI in Thailand for 100-200 baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.. Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 Elef, ESN is electronic serial number. That's all I know about it. PM, gosh, I forgot about that. I had my Malaysian mo-by and was pissed off that I could not get a Thai SIM card for it for when I visited. This was mid-90s. Cheers, SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCgringo Posted August 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 the ESN is in the phone , I believe on the circuit board from the manufacter , it cannot be changed , then you have the sim card , or in older phones there was a chip that you burned with your phome number so 2 seperate numbers, In the USA they could kill your blackball your phones ESN if you owed money, so you could not take your phone and use it in another city. This was in the 90s when I was in the business , OC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted August 1, 2006 Report Share Posted August 1, 2006 What happens when someone shows up and attempts to use a stolen credit card at a shop? The card is confiscated and security shows up and cuffs the person. What should happen when someone shows up to sell a used phone to s shop? Follow the same procedure. In the process of checking the phone works the shop verifies the serial number. If stolen, it is confiscated and security arrives to deal. Even better, the phone is able to be returned to the person it was stolen from. This is just another easy thing to do to cut down on this. Stolen phones are just too big a problem to be ignored like they have been for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted August 2, 2006 Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 So who even bothers to report a stolen phone in LOS? Reporting anything to the police is usually a waste of time. e.g. I had my pocket picked somewhere around Victory Monument. Result? The police write up a report, smile and that's it. A neighbour's home is broken into. The police come, look around, write it up ... and that's it. A long time friend is found washed up on the beach with all of his ID missing and in clothes that didn't belong to him. Police write it up, photos appear on front page of Thai papers ... nothing else happens. Apparently, the only way the police will do much here is if somebody very high up orders them to do a proper job. e.g. The Brit gal who was raped and murdered on Samui earlier this year. The killers were caught, tried and sentenced within days! But who really expects them to do much about a phone that cost a few thousand baht? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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