Mobile Phone Recycling Companies Refuse To Buy Stolen Phones
To curb the stolen phone resale market and prevent criminals from making money from stolen goods, many recycling companies are now agreeing to check the details of mobile phones against a national stolen phone database before purchasing them from individuals.
More than 90 per cent of the UK recycling industry has already signed the new code of practice, developed by the Telecommunications Fraud Forum (TUFF), government and police – which hopes to put an end to the estimated 100,000 stolen mobiles that are being sold to recycling companies without their knowledge.
Stolen handsets can still be used abroad, despite the fact that they will have been blocked across all UK networks within a 24 hour period after having been reported as stolen. Some recycling companies export their phones after buying them, which therefore gives criminals a loophole to make some money for their stolen goods.
Recyclers that sign the new agreement will check every mobile they’re being offered against the National Mobile Phone Register. If the phone ends up being stolen, they will refuse to buy it and hand over the information to police.
So far the recycling industry has been more than cooperative at curbing criminal activity. The Compare and Recycle website lists a whole host of sites that recycle phones, digital cameras, laptops, mp3 players and other electronic items, and who use eco-friendly means to recycle such items. Reusing and properly disposing of phones and their parts are what the companies on Compare and Recycle’s website make sure to do in an eco-friendly manner.
All of the companies that sign up for the TUFF agreement also help increase consumer confidence with those sites, and the whole mobile phone recycling market. So, if you want to recycle mobile phones, now you know how to choose the recycling company wisely!
