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Gentlemen,
I've been writing stories about cell-phone theft, thievery and fraud, which I believe has plague not only the Philippines but the rest of the world where GSM cell sites exist. Who among you have bought, by chance, in Greenhills in San Juan and found out that the unit you obtained had been tampered with.
Share me your story, maybe I could write something about it. What follows is a story I wrote recently about cell phone fraud in Greenhills:
Many have found Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan a perfect place to shop around, dine out and find different kinds of entertainment.
Greenhills, however, has also become famous -- infamous, is more like it -- as the place to find various types of cell phones whether brand-new or stolen. Just name the brand and model, and you will probably find it there.
In fact, Greenhills has morphed into a hot spot of consumer fraud.
A recently visit confirmed reports that several concessionaires have been selling fake cell phone accessories such as batteries, hands-free kits and face plates or covers, which are a big hit among teenagers and the young at heart.
A saleswoman disclosed that some concessionaires not only sell fake batteries or accessories, but also replace the original items in the package.
When asked what she meant, she said some store owners take out original parts of the cell phones such as batteries and liquid-crystal display (LCD) and sell the units at much reduced prices.
After buying the "cannibalized" items, some consumers may think that they got a great bargain, she added, but actually they have been duped.
Further interviews also revealed that stolen cell phones are regularly brought to unscrupulous shop owners and resell them to unsuspecting buyers.
"Shady business practices"
Some shop owners do not even disguise their shady business practices. All across Greenhills are streamers that boldly announce: " We buy second-hand phones, we buy rejected SIM [subscriber's identification module] cards. We open SIM-locked units."
Fees for opening a SIM-locked unit ranges from P200 to P700.
Second-hand units -- a euphemism for stolen cell phones, more often than not -- can be had from P2,000 to P3,500.
Some stores can also bee seen buying old and rejected SIM cards, particularly of those of Globe Telecoms.
In a bid to get more information, abs-cbnNEWS.com called up Jones Campos, a Globe Telecoms executive, to find out if Globe allows fly-by-night stores, such as those in Greenhills, to buy its rejected SIM cards. However, his secretary said that Campos was "indisposed."
This writer was able get a SIM-locked Siemens M35 in one of the shops in Greenhills. All it took was just a few minutes of waiting and, of course, the right price for the shop's technicians to perform what they even conceded to be an illegal procedure.
Having seen ease with which SIM-locked units are opened, the rampant theft and snatching of cell phones in Metro Manila no longer comes as a surprise.
"Statistics up"
Recently, the National Capital Region Police Office revealed that nearly four cell phones are reported stolen in Metro Manila, which in certain cases led to more serious crimes, including homicide.
According to Senior Supt. Julius Caesar Ravanez, over 520 cell phones were reported stolen from January to May this year.
During the five-month period, statistics would show that an average 3.4 cellular phones are being snatched on a given day somewhere in the capital region.
Ravanez said 70 suspected cell phone thieves have been arrested, while 220 cell phone theft cases have been filed in court.
The NCRPO official admitted that the actual figures could be much higher, admitting that many cell phone snatching incidents go unreported to authorities.
Cell phones have replaced jewelry as the favorite target of snatchers and other thieves in Metro Manila.
"Other fly-by-night store"
Western Police District station 3 commander Supt. Danilo Abarzosa pointed out that cell phones can readily be bought cheap from "fences" that trade in stolen items along Rizal and C.M. Recto Avenues in Santa Cruz and Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo.
Stolen cell phones can be bought for prices ranging from P2,000 to P3,500, depending on the unit's make.
Victims are usually students who send text messages while walking or those waiting for rides with their cell phones prominently displayed.
The rising incidence of cell phone theft has prompted lawmakers to call on manufacturers to install more stringent security features in their products to discourage thieves.
"Better late than never"
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has already ordered Globe and Smart Communications Inc. to block stolen cell phones from their networks in a bid to stop cell phone theft.
According to Eliseo Rio Jr., NTC commissioner, the agency has been working on an agreement among cellular phone companies to formulate a plan that would make stolen cell phones inoperable.
He, however, said that there is no concerted effort among cell phone firms to block stolen phones. Meaning, if one mobile provider blocks a stolen cell phone from its network, it could still be used in another network.
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Posted: 2002-03-07 03:35:00
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yeah.... i NTC is incompetent when it comes to these problem
i suggestion is that some1 shld develop a remote control device that will ignite and eventually explode ur stolen unit.
maybe they shld pack it w/ c-4 so the hands of the robber will be cut off
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Posted: 2002-03-07 07:23:00
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is it best not to buy your phone from greenhills? i don't think the cellphone junkies will comply. almost all the segments of our society buys phones there.
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Posted: 2002-03-07 08:01:00
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That is true.. i've heard about these rumors.. They even change the battery of the Nokia to fake ones. So you think you're getting a discount? Think again.
Good thing that there isn't any fake batteries of T68's so i know i bought the original. Meron fake pero wala nung 'ericsson' na name on the back
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Posted: 2002-03-07 08:57:00
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Sad reality -- cellphone fraud and cellphone-related crimes occur not only here in the Philippines.
I dunno...there's just got to be a way to control it, particularly the fraud in places like Greenhills.
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Posted: 2002-04-25 11:08:00
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"Victims are usually students who send text messages while walking or those waiting for rides with their cell phones prominently displayed."
Can't really avoid not seeing that all the time, really makes them a big target for theft.
What's worst, how can you tell if the phone is stolen or not? Most of them are totally new and nearly untouched and unrecognizable from a new phone.
I think the best thing you can do at the moment is to engrave your name or initials (maybe even an address) somewhere on your phone, typically under the battery. It would be useless to try to resell the phone again if it’s stolen with someone’s name engraved on it. Although, that doesn’t stop the thief from using the phone himself.
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Posted: 2002-04-25 20:21:00
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What I hate most is when some snatchers even resort in harming you if you resist... some have already died defending their celphones.
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Posted: 2002-04-26 19:57:00
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After a year, it has gotten worse
GSM now means "Galing Sa Magnanakaw" in local parlance ('fenced articles')
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Posted: 2003-03-13 06:16:00
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same here in cebu, daily snatching or pickpocket of cp. its very common, u hear reports daily at the local radio station, but wala kami gh counterpart d2.
This message was posted from a P800
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Posted: 2003-03-13 06:32:00
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@stonebolt-just one clarification it is not illegal to \"open\" a sim-locked phone because there is no law prohibiting it. the owner has all the right to tamper with his phone however he pleases. a fine article nontheless
This message was posted from a WAP device
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Posted: 2003-03-13 06:49:00
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