[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

It is yet not proven that thieves only use Airtel though some people can prove that Airtel are thieves.

Dude you are too much!

[travelwriter]

Originally Posted by NomadVagabond

There's a new website....

There is another application that rests in the mobile phone. It is an anti-theft mechanism where you feed in five numbers (of friends, et al). If the phone gets stolen and the thief tries to use it with any other SIM, the phone automatically sends out an sms to all the pre-fed 5 numbers. That way, you can find out which number is using your instrument. After that you follow the same process...approach police, get the phone tracked down and apprehend the culprit.

[phamilyman]

Its completely a waste of time. IMEI numbers can be changed in under ten seconds with the right software (atleast it was such, with siemens phones three years back).

Chill man. Let go

[di1in]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Its completely a waste of time. IMEI numbers can be changed in under ten seconds with the right software (atleast it was such, with siemens phones three years back).

Chill man. Let go

I don't believe IMEI codes can be changed easily with the current phones in tha market though it's relatively simple to change the product code on Nokia phones. But this doesn't offer any security lapse.
You could try the phone guardian app though it's only for symbian s60 3rd edition smartphones only. It even lets you get the GPS co-ordinates of your lost phone. But as with every software, it is hackable if the thief is tech-savvy. There's a review here.

[PatienceWins]

The maid stole my wives mobile today. We are sure that she stole it as the mobile was there when she came and missing since she left home. We called her and she is reluctant to agree.

We have the IMEI code with us. What are the chances or retrieving it by using the IMEI code and a police complaint?

[di1in]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

The maid stole my wives mobile today. We are sure that she stole it as the mobile was there when she came and missing since she left home. We called her and she is reluctant to agree.

We have the IMEI code with us. What are the chances or retrieving it by using the IMEI code and a police complaint?

If you have the IMEI register a complaint and get the code to your service provider they'll easily trace it to the tower and location where it is being used - but it'll have to be switched on with any sim. Or you could use security software like these if it's a symbian phone.

[NK@Hyd]

Originally Posted by NomadVagabond

My phone was stolen some months back and faced a lot of issues that time. So, I know the agony of loosing a phone. Well I tried everything from lodging the FIR with police to complaining to Airtel for blocking the IMEI number etc etc etc. And nothing really happened. Infact the constable who took down the report told to forget about it. Anyway, there's a way to atleast save your private and personal data on the mobile.

There's a new website called Wave Secure. https://www.wavesecure.com is their website. It's part of the bundled software with Nokia E-71. You need to install their software and register and put a phone number of someone else whom you trust and can contact easily. In case your phone gets stolen you can sms from "that" other number to your own phone and get the data deleted. Also you can do that from the website AND whenever a new SIM is inserted into your phone (Without the guy first formatting the entire O.S) the software sends the cell location/operator ID/phone number etc etc to the buddy's phone number which you had prefed into the software. I think this is just a precaution which we all can impliment. Right now Wavesecure is supporting almost these Nokia, Dopod, O2, Samsung, Palm, Sony Ericsson, HP, Motorola, Panasonic, HTC, Asus, Eten. And I'm guessing it supports both Symbian and Windows Mobile O.S. I've used only Nokia till now so no idea about Windows Mobile personally. Hope this helps.

Regards,

Anirban.

Hi Anirban and others,

I suppose for such an application to work, the software needs to be installed in the phone and then can be remotely controlled?

My friend lost her N72. She has its IMEI number and has deactivated the SIM. Is there any way to delete the data from her cell? She doesn't have any such s/w installed in her cell.

Also, please let me know if Nokia has a similar pre-built software already in its phones.

[di1in]

Originally Posted by NK@Hyd

Hi Anirban and others,

I suppose for such an application to work, the software needs to be installed in the phone and then can be remotely controlled?

My friend lost her N72. She has its IMEI number and has deactivated the SIM. Is there any way to delete the data from her cell? She doesn't have any such s/w installed in her cell.

Also, please let me know if Nokia has a similar pre-built software already in its phones.

Nokia doesn't have similar software pre-equipped in it's phones, primarily because such anti-theft software is about as good at preventing theft as those engine kill/electronic security gizmos on our cars are. You only need to do an OS update and the best of the security apps will be erased.

[Samurai]

I lost my HTC Touch Diamond 2 last Sunday in Sukh Sagar parcel counter. It was cleanly picked out of my cellphone pouch. I didn't know it until I came home. I blocked the SIM and got a replacement already. But I guess there is no way to block that phone from being used.

[ottocycle]

Samsung comes with inbuilt feature, MobileTracker. Submit a phone number, where notifications will be sent to in case SIM-card was changed - that message will contain number of the SIM-card being used with the handset. This section is protected with password, so that no one other than you or someone else who knows the password could disable the Tracker. Should your device have the SIM-card switched once, the specified number will receive one message instantly, and one more each time a new card is plugged in.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I lost my HTC Touch Diamond 2 last Sunday in Sukh Sagar parcel counter. It was cleanly picked out of my cellphone pouch. I didn't know it until I came home. I blocked the SIM and got a replacement already. But I guess there is no way to block that phone from being used.

Sorry for your loss.

But how can you be so sure that the theft happened at the particular location even when you never noticed it happening ?

BTW, which Sukh Sagar is this ?

Rohan

[Gansan]

Guys, I lost a mobile phone in a bus a couple of years ago, and approached AirTel regional office at Chennai with a similar request. They blocked my SIM alone after I gave an email complaint to cyberacchennai and submitted a copy to them. A legal officer spoke to me and said :

1) Indian cyber laws do not permit the blocking based on IMEI number as yet.

2) Based on our complaint, the police will approach the hand set maker and they alone will trace the new phone number and furnish it only to the Police.

3) Based on this info Police can trace the thief at the given address. This works only if the hand set is of high value and we pull strings at the Police department.

4) Moreover, the service provider will not know the new SIM number if the thief buys one from a different SP. The manufacturer,however,can trace from his data base.

5) Service providers in Australia collaborate among themselves and offer this blocking service. Their cyber laws permit this.

By the time my SIM was blocked, the thief had made calls worth Rs 250 from the prepaid SIM. So I requested the AirTel guy to furnish me a log of the numbers called from the time I lost the phone. He refused, stating this request too should come only from the Police. He however was kind enough to orally inform me a few most called numbers. I called them up and threatened that the Police will come to them if they did not tell me the identity of the caller, but nothing came of it!

If we buy mobiles with tracking facility that will send the new phone number by SMS to a pre arranged number, we can give a complaint to the Police with this new mobile no. and it will carry more weight. At the very least, we can keep calling and harassing the new number and irritate the thief! He can't go to the Police and the sms will come to you even if he changes the SIM a dozen times!

PS: A friend tells me there are guys in the market who will disable the tracker from a stolen mobile for a fee of Rs 100 !

[rishab.k]

I read this in Times of India a few years back.
Here,in my city, they have made a separate police team with 2-3 policemen & their only job is to recover stolen cellphones & they claim to have recovered quite a few of them.
This is how they work.If your cellphone gets stolen or lost, you have to make a complaint along with the purchase receipt (with IMEI mentioned on it).They put up the IMEI number on surveillance & the moment someone puts in a SIM they get that mobile number & the location.Then they make a call to that number & tell the person that they have his location & address & to avoid any action from the police side he simply has to drop that phone in a drop box at a certain location.
Though it may not work all the time , sometimes it does.

[kiren]

A friend lost his SE W395 which was lifted from a salon. He registered a complaint with the police. The police asked him not to block the phone with the imei no. and block only the sim. Mumbai/Thane police has a seperate dept to track cyber/mobile crimes. He got the phone back from the police in 15 days.

They(police) are able to trace the phone thru imei no. However they also confirmed its possible to change the imei no.

Hence we should insist and lodge a FIR with the police if its an expensive phone.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

But how can you be so sure that the theft happened at the particular location even when you never noticed it happening ?

That was the only place where I was mobbed by people all around me. Another guy too lost his phone right there and he was frantically looking for it.

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

BTW, which Sukh Sagar is this ?

Opposite Sena Vihar.