Wireless carriers partner with FCC, police on database of stolen cellphones

[Jeffrey Walton <noloader () gmail com>]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/gIQAZG9L7S_story.html

The nation’s largest wireless carriers agreed to help federal
regulators and local law enforcement crack down on cellphone theft by
creating a centralized database to identify stolen phones and render
them useless.

Within six months, consumers will be able to call Verizon Wireless,
AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile if their devices are stolen and the
carriers will block the phones from being used again.

Cellphone theft has been rampant in cities across the country. More
than 40 percent of robberies in New York involve smartphones. In the
District, 34 percent of all robberies are of cellphones, and cellphone
theft increased 54 percent between 2007 and 2011.
...
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