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A mobile phone is a lucrative item for the muggers and often they target people with expensive mobile sets. The IMEI number can help us recover stolen mobile sets. Every mobile set has an IMEI number which means "international mobile equipment identity". The number is very useful as it is used by GSM networks to identify valid devices and therefore can be very effectively used to locate stolen phones. For example, if a mobile phone is stolen, the owner can call the network provider and instruct it to "blacklist" the phone using its IMEI number. At the same time, a victim can also take the help of law enforcers and find out his or her stolen mobile.
So we should record the IMEI numbers of our sets as a precaution against theft. The way we are increasingly becoming dependent on cell phones, recording of IMEI numbers is also becoming increasingly necessary. Many of us are not aware that every mobile has a 16-digit IMEI number built in and we can block the stolen mobile phones with the help of the service provider. We can check our mobile's IMEI numbers by pressing *#06# in our mobile set and we should save this numbers in our notebook so that if in case our mobile phones are stolen or lost, we can block the mobile sets by using the IMEI numbers. Mobile phone companies should create awareness among mobile users about IMEI so that mobile theft can be reduced to a great extent.
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Bonosree, Dhaka
[email protected]