Theft and
Loss of Cellular Phones Alarming
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Months
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Theft and Loss of
Cellular Phones Alarming
75.298 is the number of
cellular telephones that
have either been stolen
or lost by their owners
to date this year.
The number was revealed
by the president of the
Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE),
Pedro Pablo Quirós, who
expressed concern.
Quiró added that ICE is
reinforcing its system
to trace stolen cellular
telephones and reduce
the number of thefts.
Carlos León of the
Fuerza Pública (police)
in San José said that
the preferred equipment
by thieves are the more
modern and sophisticated
units that have a
camera, adding the more
expensive cellular
phones are the most
"appetizing" for
thieves.
A number of people have
already lost their lives
to cellular phone
thefts, the latest case
is that of 28 year old
effry Arnold Lawrence
Dunkley and 21 year old
Jeudi Asbel Mata
Sarmiento.
While ICE reinforces its
systems, officials ask
that people immediately
report the loss of theft
of their cellular
telephone. The
institution can then
block the number so that
thief or person who
found the unit cannot
use it. ICE officials
point out that the
report is no assurance
of recovery.
Reporting the cellular
phone will also ensure
that the thief or person
who found it will not be
able to run a large use
bill for the owner.
Reporting a lost of
stolen cellular phone is
quite easy. The first
step is to call 193. The
automated vox system
will take the
information, asking for
the telephone number and
cedula or passport
number of the owner,
checking it against the
ICE database and finally
a reference telephone
number.
Withing minutes of the
call, the lost or stolen
cellular telephone
number will no longer be
working and will remain
suspended until the
owner visits an ICE
office to reconnect. The
suspension does not mean
that the monthly billing
will stop or that the
owner loses the cellular
number.
Adolfo Arias, chief of
the División de
Servicios del ICE, says
that owners should
register the IMEI - the
cellular phone's
electronic registration
number - with ICE when
they connect the line.
Unfortunately, the
service is an option and
it is up to the owner to
ensure that the IMEi is
registered, which will
allow ICE the ability
not to connect the
equipment to another
number if it is reported
lost or stolen unless
the rightful owner
visits an ICE agency.
Authorities say there is
no specific location
where cellular phones
thefts are more
prevalent, it can occur
anywhere, and most of
the thefts are a result
of the carelessness of
the owner, leaving the
phone unattended or
carrying it in an open
pocket where it can
easily fall out or be
pick pocketed.
The Instituto Nacional
de Seguros (INS) offers
a special policy for
cellular telephone
theft. The policy is
only available to GSM
cellular phones that are
connected to the
Ericsson network and the
IMEI is registered, The
INS policy covers 80% of
the original cost of the
telephone.
ICE's Quirós admits that
the institution cannot
do much to help recover
a stolen or lost
cellular phone, saying
the job of recovery is
up to the police, all
that ICE can do is trace
the phone if it is
turned on and over that
information to the
judicial authorities. |
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Expensive and sophisticated
cellular telephones like Apple's iPhone are a favourite
among thieves of phones stolen.
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