For those of you that like to buy used phones on eBay or Craigslist, we have some good news. The four major wireless carriers are teaming up along with the U.S. government to build a central database of stolen cellphones. I don’t understand why this wasn’t started years ago.
Currently, Verizon Wireless and Sprint block any phones that have been reported stolen. Unfortunately AT&T and T-Mobile don’t, but now all four will work together in an effort to reduce crime and hopefully the resale value of stolen goods. Many of these stolen phones end up on eBay or Craigslist, and some are even exported to China, Latin America, and Africa.
Of course, nothing is foolproof because hackers might be able to use software to alter the identity of any stolen phones. Unfortunately even that’s not considered a crime, but hopefully that will change with legislation. Either way, the carriers need to do something and this is a start. Final details are yet to be worked out, but the proposed outline has.
source: wsj