Police forces team up to battle cellphone scams

Alberta's two largest municipal police forces are partnering with major cellphone providers to help consumers avoid purchasing a previously stolen mobile this holiday season.

Edmonton and Calgary police have launched an ad campaign alongside Telus, Bell, Rogers and Shaw Communications to ensure Albertans are aware of what they need to look for to make sure they buy a cellphone that actually works. ebay and Kijiji are also partners in the campaign

An Edmonton Police Service news release issued Friday said there have been around 600 cellphones reported stolen in the two cities over the past two years. In 2020, there have been 25 robberies at Calgary and Edmonton cellphone stores.

Police said those stolen phones are often resold to customers and if they have had their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) registered to the international blacklist, they will be unusable.

“Each phone has its own unique IMEI number that can be found either in the settings menu of the phone, on the back of the phone, underneath the battery or inscribed on the SIM card tray,” the news release said.

Police are urging Albertans to ask for a phone's IMEI before they buy it. They can then visit the device check database online to ensure it has not been reported as stolen.

If the phone has not been reported stolen, buyers are asked to still wait a few days and check the database again before they buy the phone.

The police campaign will feature an online ad to remind buyers to check if a phone is stolen before they buy it.