Combat Mobile Phone Crime
 

Mobile phone thefts are soaring. And it's bad enough getting your handset half-inched without having some little blighter run up huge bills on your behalf (grrrr, past issues here. See my blog).

But should disaster strike, sign up to a new register and you can stop your stolen mobile from working and improve your chances of recovering it.

The government's National Mobile Phone Register holds the details of millions of phones. When the police find a lost or stolen mobile they plug in the info and should come up with the phone's owner.   

The register is powered by Mend (the system that stores your phone ID and personal details).

Detective superintendent Eddie Thomson, head of the 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.”

Simply register your mobile phone online, at Immobilise (previously known as menduk) and then report it if it gets nicked.  It only takes a couple of minutes to register and it's completely free.  You need your phone's IMEI number (a unique number given to all mobile phones) which can usually be found behind the battery or by typing *#06# into the handset. 

If your phone is lost or stolen alert your network provider, logon to your immobilise account and flag your phone up as lost or stolen.  Once reported, the IMEI number will be marked as invalid on all networks. This means that even if someone puts in a new Sim card the handset will still not work. 

If your phone turns up the police will get in touch with you, using the details from your immobilise account.

Do note though that if you've been a victim of crime you still need to report it to the police. They will give you advice on what to do next (you will also need a record so you can claim on your insurance). 

As technology becomes more sophisticated it is becoming possible to change IMEI numbers and unblock handsets, although this is not common (note unblocking is illegal, unlocking isn't – read Unlock Your Mobile).  In addition, the database is not worldwide, so some thieves are using stolen handsets abroad.

Also beware.  The site quotes an expensive 0870 number for obtaining a list of networks' lost/stolen numbers. Don't use it! (See Say No to 0870 article). The list can be viewed online. 

 Always double check the product details before signing up to them.

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