Companies that recycle mobile phones have agreed a code of practice aimed at thwarting the sale of stolen phones. The firms buy up used mobile phones and sell many of them abroad. Phones stolen in Britain are blocked from UK networks but can still be used on foreign networks. As a result, stolen phones are frequently offered to phone recycling companies.
The latest move is aimed at further reducing any incentive for thieves to target mobile phones. Phone recycling firms promote the practice of people digging out their old phones, which on average net the seller around £40. Not only do people raise some useful cash but they also help the environment. Mobile phones that end up in landfills can leak toxic chemicals, damaging the environment.
With some of the latest phones, like Apple’s iPhone, worth more than £200 when sold to recycling companies, the firms grew increasingly anxious about finding ways to avoid encouraging theft of phones. Under the new rules, recycling firms agree to check phones offered to them against a national database of stolen mobile phones. Any stolen phone, along with the identity of the person attempting to stolen property, will be forwarded to the police.
More than 15 phone recycling firms have already agreed to abide by the new code. This represents 90 per cent of the industry. The move closes a big loophole in existing efforts to combat mobile phone theft Every year, some 100,000 stolen phones are thought to be sold on for a total of £4 million.
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