[conservative in nyc]

The men were allegedly reprogramming the phones so that they could work on more than just TracFone's network. An unlocked phone is worth more than a locked phone because you can switch networks by switching SIM cards, and aren't locked into a (somewhat crappy) pre-paid plan.

TracFone likely loses money on its phone sales and hopes to turn a profit by selling its service.

[RichardW]

What advantage is there to my using another service than Tracfone's? How would that work exactly?