Stolen Phone

[sinderella]

A friend has been burgled and had a payg mobile phone stolen
it is still switched on and being answered
what should he say in the text he is going to send?

[BlackadderV]

Nothing which will help him recover his phone. Just say that the theft has been reported and the number is being tracked by the police and phone co.

[TWR]

Make the most of the phone call you thief, the phone is on a Tracker have a nice day.

[sinderella]

he wants to do the "taken" quote

[Tilly2]

What's the 'taken" quote?

[Old_Geezer]

If your friend noted the IMEI of the handset they should be able to stop it working in the UK by contacting their supplier. Which may be more useful.

They should be able to close or disable the SIM account.

If it is a smart phone (I assume it is) it is a pity they didn't install/switch on controls to track, disable, maybe wipe, and/or sound an alarm. Still, too late now.

I'm unsure what use sending a text will be save to worry the user into no longer using the PAYG SIM.

[ivor4781]

as old gezzer says you should have noted the imei number which is under the battery and on the box it came in ,then you could have contacted you mobile operator they would have blocked the mobile after some questions about your id

[netibiza]

If the phone has a camara, tell the thief that it autoimatically takes his photo.

[netibiza]

sorry, which then automatically goes to some place or other.

[sinderella]

the taken quote
I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

[TWR]

Nice Knowing you Sin, that statement is a written Threat, poss a 3 month stay on porridge.

[Baldric]

Can't really see a burglar complaining to be honest!

[Old_Geezer]

I think you miss the point TWR. The text is supposed to be to the original (real) owner of the mobile (can one be done for threatening oneself ?). the thief or receiver gets the message by chance because they have the phone/SIM and then wonders what they have got themselves involved with, hopefully abandoning the phone or something. Not that I think it will really help much.

[Dizmo]

If it's an android phone and they have a google account link to the phone then you can remote download android lost to the phone and start tracking it. There is other software which allows you to force a push message onto the phone which when clicked on sets the front camera (assuming it has one) to be activated. The image is then sent via 3G or Wi-Fi to you so you can see the thief. Well worth trying and if not - you can suggest they do this when they replace their phone.

[Dizmo]

I also use All Call Recorder which I chose to pay for - the best couple of quid I've spent in a long time. It uploads all my calls to google drive. It means if someone steels my phone then decides to make calls on it I can listen to the call and it also makes a GPS marker to show where the person was when they made the call from my phone.

[sinderella]

if you send the threat to yourself can it be wrong?

[Dizmo]

sinderella: You wouldn't send a threat to yourself though would you. I'll give you a scenario of how bad it could go wrong for your friend (or who ever sends the message (the phone it is sent from)).

A text message is sent to the phone which has been stolen. The person reads the text, which reads - "I've got a picture of you and I'm going to come and find you and give you a good hiding". That person then, because he is a common ***, gets his head kicked in by someone for some other related incident. Maybe he owe his supplier - the list is endless. That person could then say they found your friends phone and then later on was jumped and assaulted. Guess who they will be making a visit to first? you got it! You (the person who sent the threatening message).

Don't forget the law seems to protect the criminals more than it does the victims. NEVER send threatening messages, no matter how upset and angry you are because you can bet your life on it that it will backfire.

[Dizmo]

I'm referring to the Police when I say "Guess who they will making a visit to first"