Violent Cell Phone Thefts on the Rise

[Atheist-Lite]

Doubt if blocking a phone will do much to deter a mugger - they'll hardly be doing a examination of the goods and giving ebay points on usability? Seeing you with a expensive phone might indicate you've other expensive gadgets or cash on your person. If you've been mugged or steamed before you know how effecient these kind of people can be at removing items, examining their haul waits until later. So you denied them a total victory by blocking a phone, you are still without your phone and whatever else you've on you...

[Svartalf]

maybe not, but if they systematically block stolen iphones, and people decide that only totally trusted sources (like people you know selling you theirs, or reputable merchants) offer a reliable source for secondhand, thieves will stop stealing merch that is no longer sellable.

[Jesus_of_Nazareth]

Reminds me of the situation with Motorcycle Insurance in the UK in the late 80's / early 90's - Insurance companies rocketed premiums by claiming (rightly) that the big problem was theft.

The big source of the problem was the Insurance companies themselves - to recoup some of there losses they would sell off the parts of any wrecked bikes, including the frame with the log book (pink slip)attached! Those frames (no matter how bent!) made good money (and were even openly advertised) as all someone had to do was steal a bike, and either replace the frame number or the frame before selling, if even that (how many people actually check the frame number matches the logbook?).....or keep the stolen bike for themselves.

When the insurance companies stopped selling the frames (with logbooks) the problem of theft dropped (and premiums as well) - and they too had a long lead in time to do something and claimed that unless everyone stopped then it would only cost them money....not sure if it took some Govt intervention.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That's IT! I'm not buying a violet cellphone.

[Ronja]

maybe not, but if they systematically block stolen iphones, and people decide that only totally trusted sources (like people you know selling you theirs, or reputable merchants) offer a reliable source for secondhand, thieves will stop stealing merch that is no longer sellable.

This, AFAIK, is very close to what the situation is like in Finland, Sweden and Norway at least and likely also in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Russia and Estonia, though - not quite as good from the honest consumer's POV, or so I have been told.

[Atheist-Lite]

They won't stop mugging once there is a culture of mugging and all this means is that the muggers, they'll bin these phones rather than selling them once they've time to examine their booty. Which just means more resources wasted in replacing the phones no longer in circulation, although it makes good sense from a petty vengence angle I guess?

[Ronja]

They won't stop mugging once there is a culture of mugging and all this means is that the muggers, they'll bin these phones rather than selling them once they've time to examine their booty. Which just means more resources wasted in replacing the phones no longer in circulation, although it makes good sense from a petty vengence angle I guess?

Well, it does make a lot of business sense from the phone manufacturer's POV. Now let me think - did we have anyone in Finland and/or Sweden in 1990s, when the laws and procedures were set in place, who won't mind if phone "recycling" is just a little faster?