Stolen Phone - Whats Up?

[noob7]

Went to truemove today and explained the situation and that the thief is now using a true move sim and gave them the phone IMIE number - but (as expected) they told me there is nothing they could do

Amazing, isn't it?

Thailand has one of the strongest history, in blocking phones. By IMEI numbers.

In the beginning of 'AIS', there was one solely importer of GSM phones to Thailand.

All of these IMEI's got loaded into the THAI* GSM net. You needed to have a mobile phone, imported from this company to Thailand, to use it with a Thai Sim card.

There where hardware hacks available, for about 1000 baht, to make your 'bought in the west' look like a Thai phone.

The price for a 5110 plus Thai number was about 10.000 Baht. In the west, the 5110 got thrown after you, for 20 bucks or so.

After a while, the complaining about only one importer got to loud. So Thailand got 3 importers, but still IMEI locking for 'foreign cells with Thai number'

No need, to write, that the Owner of all '3' importers was the same person.

After a while, and after the market bought all this overpriced older GSM phone models, the business model got changed:

Now the holiday tourist became the target.

"truemove - they told me there is nothing they could do"

So the company should be called 'love', only, methinks.

There is no ploblem, to add a IMEI into the mobile phone system, and to block it.

The tracking, instead, can have legal reasons:

Ownership is one side, but the possessor of the good is, at time, someone else.

And in most countries, in case there is no real crime with life endangerment involved, the police/provider would need the permission of the person, who holds the cellphone in his hands.Data protection.

So usually, as soon there is a new number involved, it becomes difficult.

But the IMEI no-block is a 'we don't want trouble our money spending custumers' thing.

And trust me, in case a higher police officer would ask for it, he don't even needed to take a seat. How quick they would get him the location and tracking datas from the last days, phone numbers, ect.pp, would be limited by the printer, only!

Edited January 24, 2013 by noob7

[Udox]

I haven't read all the postings yet but I have read up to the point where the bag with all belongings minus the mobile were returned to the police.

I have a friend who was in a similar situation. Her blackberry was stolen at a hotel restaurant. Neither the staff nor the police were very interested in the case even though she offered a cash reward.

After a few days, her friends saw her online but the profile photo had changed. She downloaded the photo and returned to the hotel and asked the manager if he knew the person on the photo. Sure enough it was one of the waiters. The waiter was questioned and he admitted that there was a little group of people involved in stealing mobiles and other valuables from customers. The phone was returned and the staff were sacked. No police involvement.

Maybe if you check the photo against the police officers it could be one of them but then how on earth would you tackle that situation?

The person using the phone now is a 22 year old girl and yes, she has put a picture of (what I presume is) herself on the chat programme icon, and yes - I have printed it - ready for ......... well I'm not sure yet.

Oddly enough she (or someone) seems to be back using the phone after a break of 4 days (so maybe she didn't sell it after all) and we are still hoping that one day soon she will press the google maps icon and we will get a fix on her location.

Yes we could go to the police station and show them the picture but would anyone admit that it was their daughter, girlfriend or kik ?

They have already showed that they are utterly dishonest so the only hope (and a very long shot) is that one of the other BIB holds his hand up and says "yes, the girl is xxx's daughter" (or girlfriend or wife etc.) (pretty damned unlikely)

[noob7]

The person using the phone now is a 22 year old girl and yes, she has put a picture of (what I presume is) herself on the chat programme icon, and yes - I have printed it - ready for ......... well I'm not sure yet.

Oddly enough she (or someone) seems to be back using the phone after a break of 4 days (so maybe she didn't sell it after all) and we are still hoping that one day soon she will press the google maps icon and we will get a fix on her location.

Yes we could go to the police station and show them the picture but would anyone admit that it was their daughter, girlfriend or kik ?

They have already showed that they are utterly dishonest so the only hope (and a very long shot) is that one of the other BIB holds his hand up and says "yes, the girl is xxx's daughter" (or girlfriend or wife etc.) (pretty damned unlikely)

Feed google with the picture:

Drag and drop the image in the search box:

http://www.google.co...hp?hl=en&tab=wi

Maybe a facebook pic with name shows up!

Edited January 24, 2013 by noob7

[tw25rw]

I would offer her a reward for finding your phone and saving you from blocking it. If she's not respoinsive, push Lookout onto it and locate the phone or wipe it.

[Udox]

The person using the phone now is a 22 year old girl and yes, she has put a picture of (what I presume is) herself on the chat programme icon, and yes - I have printed it - ready for ......... well I'm not sure yet.

Oddly enough she (or someone) seems to be back using the phone after a break of 4 days (so maybe she didn't sell it after all) and we are still hoping that one day soon she will press the google maps icon and we will get a fix on her location.

Yes we could go to the police station and show them the picture but would anyone admit that it was their daughter, girlfriend or kik ?

They have already showed that they are utterly dishonest so the only hope (and a very long shot) is that one of the other BIB holds his hand up and says "yes, the girl is xxx's daughter" (or girlfriend or wife etc.) (pretty damned unlikely)

Feed google with the picture:

Drag and drop the image in the search box:

http://www.google.co...hp?hl=en&tab=wi

Maybe a facebook pic with name shows up!

Thanks for your help, and for the link. That was quite an eye opener.

I guess you will have to have a very clear and specific picture if it is to match up with what must be billions of online pictures - sadly nothing turned up in this instance.

I tried the advanced search and also the 'view similar images' button - which was actually quite disturbing.

I was shown pictures of girls (lots of them) a poodle (yep) - a picture of Pluto the dog, a picture of Barbara Streisand and also one of a couple having sex

Google sure does have some wide open criteria for their search engines

It was definitely worth a try though and actually will be fun to play with when stuck for something to do also

Thanks again.

[jbrain]

The person using the phone now is a 22 year old girl and yes, she has put a picture of (what I presume is) herself on the chat programme icon, and yes - I have printed it - ready for ......... well I'm not sure yet.

Oddly enough she (or someone) seems to be back using the phone after a break of 4 days (so maybe she didn't sell it after all) and we are still hoping that one day soon she will press the google maps icon and we will get a fix on her location.

Yes we could go to the police station and show them the picture but would anyone admit that it was their daughter, girlfriend or kik ?

They have already showed that they are utterly dishonest so the only hope (and a very long shot) is that one of the other BIB holds his hand up and says "yes, the girl is xxx's daughter" (or girlfriend or wife etc.) (pretty damned unlikely)

Feed google with the picture:

Drag and drop the image in the search box:

http://www.google.co...hp?hl=en&tab=wi

Maybe a facebook pic with name shows up!

Very good tip.

I didn't know this was possible, but its works very well.

[Udox]

I would offer her a reward for finding your phone and saving you from blocking it. If she's not respoinsive, push Lookout onto it and locate the phone or wipe it.

Forgive me if I am being naive, but having been on the Lookout webpage - it seems that you must install the app actually on the phone first, after that you can track it, lock it wipe it etc. from a PC, much like the other programmes (avast, Samsung drive)

If you know how I might install (or 'push' as you called it) without even knowing the new phone number she is using - please let me know (by PM if you don't want to make it public)

I am on a learning curve here and the knowledge I have gained from this forum in the last two weeks has been awesome. It won't happen again, now I know how to better protect the phones, but that doesn't solve the immediate problem.

[Jayman]

I would offer her a reward for finding your phone and saving you from blocking it. If she's not respoinsive, push Lookout onto it and locate the phone or wipe it.

Forgive me if I am being naive, but having been on the Lookout webpage - it seems that you must install the app actually on the phone first, after that you can track it, lock it wipe it etc. from a PC, much like the other programmes (avast, Samsung drive)

If you know how I might install (or 'push' as you called it) without even knowing the new phone number she is using - please let me know (by PM if you don't want to make it public)

I am on a learning curve here and the knowledge I have gained from this forum in the last two weeks has been awesome. It won't happen again, now I know how to better protect the phones, but that doesn't solve the immediate problem.

If she is logged into your google account still on the phone then any app you install via the playstore website on your PC will be pushed to the phone and installed. This has nothing to do with the sim card or phone number being used.

look at this one

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb&hl=en

Edited January 24, 2013 by Jayman

[Satcommlee]

That's a good find Jayman!

I would suggest it is done in the very late hours

[tw25rw]

I would offer her a reward for finding your phone and saving you from blocking it. If she's not respoinsive, push Lookout onto it and locate the phone or wipe it.

Forgive me if I am being naive, but having been on the Lookout webpage - it seems that you must install the app actually on the phone first, after that you can track it, lock it wipe it etc. from a PC, much like the other programmes (avast, Samsung drive)

If you know how I might install (or 'push' as you called it) without even knowing the new phone number she is using - please let me know (by PM if you don't want to make it public)

I am on a learning curve here and the knowledge I have gained from this forum in the last two weeks has been awesome. It won't happen again, now I know how to better protect the phones, but that doesn't solve the immediate problem.

If she is logged into your google account still on the phone then any app you install via the playstore website on your PC will be pushed to the phone and installed. This has nothing to do with the sim card or phone number being used.

look at this one

https://play.google....abs.planb&hl=en

That is what I meant. I haven't actually used this tool to disable a phone though.

[edwinchester]

Went to truemove today and explained the situation and that the thief is now using a true move sim and gave them the phone IMIE number - but (as expected) they told me there is nothing they could do

Not being au-fait with phones, sim cards and IMIE numbers I don't know if she meant 'couldn't do' as in physically, or morally.

I always thought an IMIE number was personal to a particular phone and that if that phone was transmitting a signal then they could trace it and retrieve the number used and possibly even block the phone (until the user pays 200 baht at MBK to get it 'unblocked')

Samsung gave me the same negative "cannot Mister" reply.

No wonder phone theft is so bloody common here !

AIS told me that they can track a phone from just the IMIE. Their policy is though that they need a police request before they will do so.

In my case, when my own phone was stolen, the local police refused to send the request. Probably because they themselves deal drugs to the prime suspect.

Bunch of cnuts!