[Calpernia]

That is odd.

I have had a phone lost and never ran into the contract problem you mentioned in your opening statement.

My cell phone company canceled out the serial number attached to my contract. My number was ported to my new handset with the new serial number.

I'm on the same plan. Only additional cost was a new handset.

[NonValueAdded]

Hold my beer while I key this?

When someone else keys in that number and their phone is still working, please post the "all clear." Thanks!

[mwilli20]

CHECK WITH SNOPES FIRST !!!!

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/celltheft.asp

Mostly bogus, the only partially true bit is that the sequence works on some US phones - GSM phones (TMobile and Cingular)

[Orange1998]

Why do you need the code. If the phone is lost you call the provider who already has the code to disconnect.

[mmyers]

wHEN I POST THE *#06# i GET NOTHING???

[jmq]

Very useful indeed.

Does anyone know other tips or tricks? Like the Sprint 800 number that will read back your phone number from where you are calling from?

[evets]

[mmyers]

wHEN I POST THE *#06# i GET NOTHING???

[js1138]

For reasons I don't undeerstand, I had a lot of trouble keying this in. The "#" key acted like it didn't want to register.

But eventually it worked.

[KarlInOhio]

My phone ID is "Self Destruct in 60 seconds". Is that what I sould tell my phone company? Oh, it's changed to "Self Destruct in 45 seconds".

[Cagey]

Jerry: I'd better call the car phone company, cancel my service.

George: Maybe you should call your car phone.

Jerry: Yeah, he's probably driving it right now.

George: Wait a minute, call the car phone, see what happens.

Jerry: Are you serious?

George: Yeah, go ahead, call.

Jerry: I don't even know if I remember the number.

Jerry dials.

Jerry: What do I say if he picks up?

Car thief: Hello?

Jerry: Hello? Is this 555-8383?

Car thief: I have no idea.

Jerry: Can I ask you a question?

Car thief: Sure.

Jerry: Did you steal my car?

Car thief: Yes I did.

Jerry: You did?!

Car thief: I did.

Jerry: That's my car!

Car thief: I didn't know it was yours.

Jerry: What are you gonna do with it?

Car thief: I dunno, drive around.

Jerry: Then can I have it back?

Car thief: Mmmm, nah, I'm gonna keep it.

[tacticalogic]

Call the number and tell whoever answers they've won the color TV from the drawing they entered at the hardware store. Unfortunately, you can't make out the address on the entry form and need to know where to deliver it.

[Aliska]

I tried to copy and paste one paragraph with the method of obtaining the code, and it wiped out my notes.

Then I copied it to wordpad in .rtf format and copied it back to my notes, wiped them out again.

Good thing I didn't save my misc info and code file I keep adding useful bits on info to. What gives with that?

[Cagey]

Thief Hides Cell Phone In Her Bum
Ananova.com
October 6, 2005

Above: police photo of the stolen phone

Romanian police caught a female mobile phone thief by dialling the stolen phone - and hearing it ringing from her bum.

Police in Lasi stopped Petronela Brandus, 24, as she tried to get off a bus after other passengers said they saw her steal a mobile phone.

But after a search failed to find the phone, police decided to call the number to see where it was and heard a muffled ringing coming from under the woman's dress.

She was taken to a local police station where a strip search by female police officers revealed she had hidden it up her bottom, local daily 7 Plus reported.

Officer Madalin Taranu said: "We've had people hiding things in their bras and panties before, but this was a new one.

"The station doctor extracted the phone and we sprayed it with disinfectant before handing it back to its owner."

[Gamecock]

I started a leg of a several state, two continent trip through DFW a few months ago.

As my plane was being pushed back from the gate the usual announcement to turn off cell phones as made. I reached to my hip to turn of my phone and discovered it was gone. While waiting for my connecting flight at Cincinnati, I dug through my carry on luggage and my phone was not there.

Now, it was Sunday night, my phone is a government phone issued in Germany, so there really was nothing I could do other than call my wife back home and have her call my unit the next morning and turn of the card. I thought for sure I had left it in my rental car, but after a few calls that week they denied having seen my phone.

A week later I passed back through DFW and talked to the TSA folks, thinking maybe I had left it at the Security Checkpoint. The gentlemen pulled out a lost and found book and someone had indeed logged in a Nokia phone about 30 minutes after I passed through that check point a week earlier.

He put me in touch with Travelers Aid (two terminals over) and I described the phone to them. They asked me the code, which I didn't have committed to memory, (it is a new phone) but I described it well enough that they said they thought my cell phone was in their collection. I went over and they indeed had my phone! The card was fried, but I had my phone back and that saved me from having to pay for it....

[LonePalm]

Self ping for later.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Frwy]

I'VE REQUESTED THAT THE THREAD BE PULLED.

[IamConservative]

I just bought a $400 Blackberry on E-bay for $130. The seller indicated it have been unlocked for any GSM netowrk. The seller reported to be with a wholesaler of cellular equipment and had very positive feedback. I was a little leary, but have been very satisfied with it so far. As it relates, the unlocking process requires that you have the ID this key sequence will produce (on some phones.)

I took the risk because I get sick of my contract being extended averytime one of the four phones on my plan goes caput.

[2Jedismom]

I tell ya what happened to me!

I just recently got a "pay as you go" cell phone from Walmart after getting advice from Freepers. I got it home, took it out of the box, stored away my receipt and threw away the box. A week later, almost to the hour, it died. Just died.

I called the company and they said exchange it at Walmart. Walmart said they wouldn't exchange it without the box!!!

Well, no one had told me I had to have the box to exchange it and I kept saying so and saying so till finally I guess they got tired of me, because they finally figured out a way to exchange it. I got the new one home, called Virgin and they assigned my number to the new one and I was fine. But this time, I kept the receipt and the box!

[monkeyshine]

Seems like a crappy way to raise revenues. The phone companies could still profit, and add this additional protection as a free service - i.e. record your serial number and if your phone is ever stolen, block it forever. This would end the the theft of phones (though I suppose maybe they could be used in other countries or on other providers) but the cellco's could still make money on lost phone replacement.

It is true that the cellco's subsidize the price of the phone, so making you sign a contract is realistic.

I have Cingular, and their phones are crap. I buy the phone I want and just use their sim card in it. And I don't like Motorolla phones at all - crappy user interface and even worse database of names. I like phones that can store 1 name and 5 numbers, email, address etc. You need a good PDA phone for that and Cingular only offers crap PDAs.

sorry for the rant.