| In today's marketplace, there are so many cell | | | | Another type of cell phone fraud is subscriber |
| phones and cell phone service providers that | | | | fraud. This is basically another form of identity |
| many consumers do not know one from another. | | | | theft. The perpetrator uses someone else's name |
| This has led to the crime of cell phone fraud | | | | and social security number to purchase a cell |
| becoming more frequent. | | | | phone and sets up an account with a cell phone |
| The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) | | | | service provider. The charges for the phone and |
| defines cell phone fraud as the unauthorized use, | | | | any calls that the person makes is billed to the |
| tampering, or manipulation of a cell phone or | | | | person whose name is on the account. If you are |
| service. As this crime began to rise in the 1990s, | | | | the victim of subscriber fraud you should report it |
| the Wireless Telephone Protection Act was | | | | to the authorities immediately a well as contacting |
| passed in 1998 to criminalize the use, possession, | | | | your cell phone company, although it will probably |
| manufacture, or sale of hardware or software | | | | be a long and complicated process to get the |
| used to clone fraudulent cell phones. This cloning is | | | | situation straightened out. |
| a type of cell phone fraud. | | | | As with any other types of identity theft, there |
| Every cell phone has a unique factory-set | | | | are precautions that you can take. You should |
| electronic serial number (ESN) and its own | | | | shred any documents that contain your personal |
| telephone number. Certain people will illegally | | | | information, such as old check stubs and bank |
| monitor radio transmissions from the cell phones | | | | statements. It is a proven fact that many of |
| of legitimate subscribers. These individual then can | | | | these thieves retrieve the information that they |
| create a cloned cell phone, which is a cell phone | | | | need to obtain someone else's identity by going |
| that has been reprogrammed to transmit the | | | | through that person's trash. You should also avoid |
| serial number and phone number of another | | | | giving out your personal information to any |
| legitimate cell phone. As both the cell phone and | | | | company or Web site that asks for it, usually |
| its clone have the same identifying numbers, the | | | | under the guise of a charity or a sweepstakes |
| cellular system can not distinguish the difference. | | | | contest. You may also want to refrain from |
| The legitimate subscriber who owns the original | | | | carrying your social security card around with you |
| cell phone will end up getting billed for calls from | | | | in your purse or wallet as well as any other |
| both the phones. The agency warns that if when | | | | documents that may have this all-important |
| you receive your monthly cell phone bill and there | | | | number written on them in case your purse or |
| are charges on it that you do not recognize, you | | | | wallet is lost or stolen. If the thief does not have |
| should contact your cell phone service provider | | | | your social security number, he cannot steal your |
| immediately. | | | | identity as easily. |
| The cell phone manufacturers are helping in the | | | | Cell phone cloning has been decreasing with the |
| fight against cell phone cloning by making | | | | help of the manufacturers but subscriber fraud is |
| improvements on their products to make the cell | | | | happening more and more frequently. Again, |
| phones more resistant to reprogramming. These | | | | keeping your personal information protected can |
| companies have had quite a bit of success with | | | | prevent you from being a victim of these identity |
| their efforts and some of them feel that the | | | | thieves. |
| problem should be totally resolved in a few years.. | | | | |