Police press campaign to stop the sale of ill-gotten cellphones
Over 600 phones reported stolen in Edmonton and Calgary over past 2 years
Calgary police have noticed a rise in the theft and sale of cellphones and hope those purchasing a possibly pilfered phone will check to see if the device has been flagged.
When buying a second-hand phone, citizens are asked to go to Device Check Canada to see if the device has been registered as lost or stolen.
Det. Stephen Horton says consumers will see an ad campaign on websites, including Kijiji, to ensure that while people are out looking for hot deals, they don't pick up stolen goods.
He has a few suggestions for those buying phones online.
"When you're looking to buy a cellphone, ask for the IMEI number, check it out. If you see that someone is selling a bunch of cellphones all at once on one post or even if it's lots of separate posts all at the same time — do some of your own digging, do some checks to see if any of this stuff is being reported."
The IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, is unique to each device and can be found in the phone's settings.
Those who have had phones snatched should go to the Device Check website to register their phone as stolen to help prevent the spread of ill-gotten goods.
There have been more than 600 stolen cellphones reported in Edmonton and Calgary over the past two years. So far this year, there have been 25 robberies at cellphone stores in both cities combined.