We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Combating mobile phone crime
MSE_Martin
Posts: 8,268 Money Saving Expert
in Mobiles
I received this email today about a new register launched by the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit to combat mobile phone crime and I think it's a great idea.
We've checked this out with the Met and they have confirmed they're backing it. All you have to do is register your mobile phone online and then report it, if and when it is stolen. The police then search the database when they recover stolen phones.
The website also has a list of lost/stolen numbers for each network, so you can block the phone to stop people making calls. Just to clarify this has nothing to do with your network provider, it only helps the police reunite people with their handsets after they have been recovered, you still need to report the theft with your network.
Also beware, the site quotes an 0870 number for reporting the phone stolen. Don't use this! Report it online.
The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit has launched a new register to assist in the combating of mobile phone crime.
The register houses millions of mobile phone details and allows police to research recovered phones to identify the original owner.
Currently the register holds over 10 million phone identities and members of the public can register their phone for free.
The register can be accessed by visiting the Internet site www.immobilise.com (previously known as www.menduk.org).
Detective Superintendent Eddie Thomson, Head of National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, said: "We ask all members of the public to register their own mobile telephones, encouraging family and friends to do the same.
The register enables police to reunite phones to their rightful owners and at the same time making them less desirable for the criminal.
We've checked this out with the Met and they have confirmed they're backing it. All you have to do is register your mobile phone online and then report it, if and when it is stolen. The police then search the database when they recover stolen phones.
The website also has a list of lost/stolen numbers for each network, so you can block the phone to stop people making calls. Just to clarify this has nothing to do with your network provider, it only helps the police reunite people with their handsets after they have been recovered, you still need to report the theft with your network.
Also beware, the site quotes an 0870 number for reporting the phone stolen. Don't use this! Report it online.
The National Mobile Phone Crime Unit has launched a new register to assist in the combating of mobile phone crime.
The register houses millions of mobile phone details and allows police to research recovered phones to identify the original owner.
Currently the register holds over 10 million phone identities and members of the public can register their phone for free.
The register can be accessed by visiting the Internet site www.immobilise.com (previously known as www.menduk.org).
Detective Superintendent Eddie Thomson, Head of National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, said: "We ask all members of the public to register their own mobile telephones, encouraging family and friends to do the same.
The register enables police to reunite phones to their rightful owners and at the same time making them less desirable for the criminal.
Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.
Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 000
0
Comments
-
Yes The site even suggests that 0870 calls are charged at Local Rate!!!
If you phone the number it is a recorded info line and all it does is refer you to a list of contact numbers for various suppliers.Most of these numbers are 0845/0870 so its a double rip off.
Neither does it tell you the true cost of the calls to the 0870 number on there advertising materials.
Having said that i think its a good idea to register your phone online.PF.0 -
Is this for real..? About 5 years ago I worked on the IMEI register intended to cut down on mobile thefts (Uncle Tony had promised a big reduction.....). The IMEI is effectively the phone serial number - can be changed but was made a criminal offence (won't stop 'em but did get a few arrests at the time). This register was shared by all the UK network providers (Voda, Orange, O2, T-Mobile) and allowed any phone to be blocked from the networks, intention being to make it unusable. The actual database was 'owned' by the GSM Association (the UK mobile 'trade body' at the time).
IMEIs were recorded automatically for contract phones and were logged against the phone number for PAYG (each company allowed PAYG phones to be registered to people on request). The IMEI number is tracked at switch-on and as you move between cells.
Drawbacks were (and probably still are) that the IMEI could be changed, although not as easy as changing the SIM (which dumps the phone number), and there was no worldwide cover so nicked phones tended to migrate to Africa and the middle east.
Worth asking the police if this is connected with the GSM Association IMEI database.0 -
Also...'quote'
Immobilise offer a unique Key and Luggage Registration and Recovery service at a fraction of the cost of similar services and what is more the service is genuinely used by law enforcement and major lost property offices such as Transport for London to find the owners of lost goods. The service is a one off payment ( not a annual cost ) of £9.99 for 2 unique numbered tags.
Thats pretty good value for a one off payment0 -
can anyonegive me help
my son had a contract phone what he got last april,last november he lost his job,today they rang him up asking for £654.. £300 phone bill plus the rest is charges for not paying the contract can they do this0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 354.8K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.5K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 455.6K Spending & Discounts
- 247.7K Work, Benefits & Business
- 604.6K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.7K Life & Family
- 262.3K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards