Schumer seeks to deactivate stolen cell phones

Senator Charles Schumer has called for cell phone companies to deactivate stolen cell phones – making them harder to sell on the black market.
According to the New York Police Department, almost half of all property thefts in New York City are related to cell phones.
“The use of iPhones and smart phones is exploding, but unfortunately so are thefts of these expensive devices,” said Schumer.
Schumer added that companies have the ability “to put would-be thieves out of business” by shutting down the cell phone through its International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
Many cell phone companies right now only deactivate the phone’s data storing SIM card, which can easily be replaced making the phone usable once again.
Schumer sent a letter to the CEOs of Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile asking them to disable stolen phones. Disabling stolen phones is already done in the United Kingdom and on Verizon’s network.
NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly applauded the senator’s initiative to take the incentive out of cell phone theft. The ease with which they are resold has often been responsible for the spikes in robbery, he said.
According to Lookout Mobile Security – a smartphone security company – New York ranks second in the country for cell phone loss or theft. Lookout estimated that 49 percent of New Yorkers have had their cell phone loss or stolen.
In the first six months of 2011, 41 percent of all property crimes in the city involved cell phones, according to the NYPD. The city is on pace for 11,328 thefts by the end of the year which would be a 5 percent increase over last year.