On Monday it was reported that various Police departments are encouraging the carriers, manufacturers, and the CWTA (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association) to work together and create a national registry of stolen devices. Apparently “iCrime” is on the rise, specifically in Toronto and Vancouver. The CWTA stated they are looking for ways to make this happen, but implementing it could “cost millions.”
This is an interesting development. The Durham Regional Police Department has decided to hold an auction on Friday, August 24th for “items that have been found or seized through police investigations and have not been claimed by their rightful owners.” An auction like this is pretty standard as you see them advertised in papers for cars and household items. However, this auction is different as the contents contains several cellphones and 6 iPads.
When a owner reports their device as lost or stolen, many carriers enter the phone’s identifiers into their databases to ensure that the stolen phone is not reactivated on their network. There’s no word on what cellphone brands, or models, are being auctioned, but here’s hoping that they all can be activated. It would be a shame to purchase a device only to be told later that your phone is registered as stolen and cannot be used. The 6 iPads, pictured above, look to be sealed up.
Instead of holding an auction for the phones, which may in fact be facilitating the reactivation of a stolen phone, another possibility is to simply recycle them at one of the many cellphone recycling initiatives, such as Recycle My Cell, TELUS, Bell, Rogers, etc. However, the monies raised by the Durham Police will be donated to unnamed local charities, which is still a good cause.
Source: DRPS
Via: Stapleton Auctions
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