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How to stop your mobile phone being stolen

OK, here's what to do to stop thieves from getting away with your mobile phone:

Type *#06# into the phone.

Then the mobile phone gives you a sequence of numbers. This is the serial number OF THE HANDSET. The idea is a bit like bicycle frame numbers

Write this down somewhere safe, such as on a label on the back of that picture on the wall of your Aunt Maud which is a family heirloom and you'll never part with.

What happens next: After many months, when someone steals your phone, you show the number (which you know how to find easily because it's on the back of that picture etc) to the police. The police have the number put into the phone network. The next call that the thief makes, (even if they've changed the identify of the phone by devious means), makes the stolen phone's location evident in the radar world which these things live in.

Notes: This method works for mobile phones in the UK on some networks and in some other countries with various systems. If you find it does not work on your phone, contact your phone network company and show them this page. (It's www.zyra.org.uk/xx06x.htm) They will most likely have a variant of the procedure which is applicable to your phone. And if not, it'll certainly give them something to think about when upgrading their system.

Also see How to stop your Sat-Nav leading thieves to your home