Can Someone Go to Jail for Selling a Stolen Phone to Ecoatm

thirteen Investigates has learned what happened to Abby Simpson has also happened to other cell phone theft victims in central Indiana, prompting business for some local police departments.

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – When Abby Simpson discovered her cell phone had been stolen, she was understandably upset. When she tracked down where that stolen phone was dumped, that's when she became furious.

"I feel like this is just a way for criminals to make coin at other people's expense."

"I feel like this is just a mode for criminals to brand coin at other people'due south expense, and I think everyone needs to know nearly that," Simpson told 13 Investigates.

Simpson traced her phone to a kiosk at a local shopping mall. That kiosk, chosen an ecoATM, gives consumers an opportunity to recycle their erstwhile cellphones and, at the same time, to potentially walk away with some quick greenbacks. Just in Simpson's case, someone else got the cash for a phone that had been stolen only minutes earlier.

13 Investigates has learned what happened to Simpson has also happened to other victims in cardinal Indiana, prompting concern for some local police departments. Those police force enforcement agencies are urging cellphone owners to take action correct now if they hope to recover a stolen cellphone in the futurity.

How she establish her stolen phone

If y'all come across a lady in downtown Indianapolis walking a cat on a long leash, that would exist Simpson. Her cat, Arnold, grew upwardly in the country. When she and Arnold moved to a downtown apartment, Simpson learned daily outdoors walks helped the feline arrange to life in the city.

"He does and then proficient down hither. The cars don't bother him at all, and everyone comes upwardly to talk to usa. He's a star," she said.

Simpson was taking Arnold for his afternoon walk a few weeks ago when she discovered the cell phone she had put in her back pocket was missing. She looked on the basis where she had been sitting a moment earlier, and information technology wasn't at that place, either.

"Information technology was just gone. Information technology got swiped very quickly," she told WTHR.

Simpson contacted her swain, who rapidly activated the Find My iPhone feature on the cellphone. They saw the phone was less than a half mile away, so they rented a scooter to follow the phone's point down Pennsylvania Avenue and, eventually, to Circle Heart Mall. Within the shopping center, Simpson pinpointed the phone to the ecoATM.

"I saw the kiosk and I said, 'That's where my phone is!'" Simpson said. "I put my ear upwards to the kiosk and we chosen my iPhone, and you could hear it vibrating and the ringtone coming from inside. It all happened so fast."

"Crime of opportunity"

Founded in southern California x years agone, ecoATM says it now has about four,000 kiosks scattered across 48 states, including more than 50 ecoATMs in central Indiana. The machines are located in Kroger and Walmart stores and in several shopping malls.

The machines accept bright displays that offer greenbacks in exchange for your phone, and the company says it offers a fast, prophylactic and secure transaction. Simply tell the ecoATM what type of phone you take, whether it works, and the status. The kiosk then tests your device and, based on its perceived value, makes y'all an offer for your phone. Older phones that are inoperable can be recycled but probable will not interpret into any cash. Newer models that are in peak condition can fetch hundreds of dollars.

Simpson believes the prospect of fast money from an ecoATM made her iPhone 8 an highly-seasoned target.

"But knowing you could go quick cash after selling something and it doesn't accept to be your phone, it just invites criminal beliefs," Simpson said.

Her story is not unique.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department tells 13 Investigates it has traced at least 41 stolen cellphones to ecoATM machines in Marion County in the past four months.

IMPD did not want to discuss the matter on camera, merely the department did invite 13 Investigates to meet with the unit that investigates stolen phones linked to ecoATM machines.

"It came on our radar screen in the past half-dozen to nine months, and information technology'south a adequately frequent thing -- several cases a week," said Capt. Breck Terheide, who oversees IMPD's pawn unit. "This is rife for fraud and a lot of it is just a criminal offense of opportunity, so I don't see it going away anytime soon."

Cities like Baltimore and Riverside, Calif., take banned ecoATM machines after city officials expressed concerns that they encourage cellphone theft.

Company disputes concerns

Contacted by WTHR near this story, company officials at ecoATM downplayed concerns about their machines, insisting that the popular kiosks do non event in increased criminal activity.

"We're not part of the problem. We're part of the solution," said Kevin Harris, an ecoATM chaser who spoke with 13 Investigates via Skype. "Our security features prevent and deter theft from occurring in the vast, vast majority of cases."

Harris said those security features include a requirement that anyone who wishes to sell a cellphone to ecoATM provide a photograph ID at the fourth dimension of sale, and that identification photo is compared with photos taken at each kiosk to make certain the pictures match. In states like Indiana, sellers are also required to provide a fingerprint. And Harris said ecoATM also checks the series number of each device against a national database of stolen phones. If the phone that is about to be sold turns upward on the list of stolen property, ecoATM says the auction will be declined.

"Nosotros've recycled our 23 million devices. A very, very pocket-sized fraction of those devices has e'er had to be recalled and sent back to law enforcement," Harris said.

Chase Freeman, another spokesman for ecoATM, said when stolen phones do get accepted at a kiosk, they are held for at least 30 days, and police are granted access to security data collected at the machines.

"Those security measures we have in identify are to not only protect consumers, but to help law enforcement in any ongoing investigation and then they can not only bring justice, but return a phone or device to its rightful owner," Freeman said.

Why is it still happening?

Despite ecoATM's security measures, local constabulary are withal dealing with stolen phones at these kiosks on a weekly basis. They say the number of stolen phones within the machines may be higher than reported, and figuring out just how many stolen phones can be traced to ecoATM units is virtually impossible.

"We accept reservations about them," said Avon Police Deputy Chief of Investigations Brian Nugent, whose department has been called to retrieve stolen phones from the 2 ecoATM machines in Avon. "On several occasions, we actually notified them that they unintentionally purchased an item that we can verify to accept been stolen. I mean, to understand how many devices may have actually sold that were stolen, the truth is we may never know."

Why do stolen cellphones end up inside ecoATM machines despite security measures designed to prevent fraud? The reply is all about timing.

While ecoATM runs each phone'southward series number to brand sure it'due south not stolen, in that location is almost always a delay of hours, days or even weeks before a stolen phone'southward series number shows up in state and national criminal offense databases. And criminals know that.

"A lot of times when these incidents happen, the criminals are breaking into vehicles, they're stealing from purses, taking from people peradventure during a robbery, and they are immediately running to these locations to sell these items," Nugent told 13 Investigates. "They're aware that they have to move apace if they want to make a profit off a stolen detail."

In Simpson's case, her telephone was sold to the ecoATM less than 45 minutes after it was stolen -- well before police force could testify upwards, let alone enter her serial number into a law-breaking database.

No abort or prosecution

While the security measures did not prevent Simpson'southward phone from existence stolen and sold to ecoATM, they did provide IMPD with a photo, fingerprint and state identification of the 40-yr-old Indianapolis homo who sold the telephone inside Circle Centre Mall.

"At that place'south a picture of him walking upwardly to the machine. There's a picture of him at the machine. It's a cute picture show," said Terheide, who told WTHR that the suspected thief received $20 from ecoATM for selling Simpson's iPhone 8.

Fearful of retribution, Simpson chose not to pursue criminal charges, simply she could have if she wanted to. Local police say about of the criminals who steal cellphones and sell them to pawn shops or ecoATMs are not prosecuted because victims either believe their phone was misplaced rather than stolen or, like Simpson, they decide not to file charges.

"I actually consider myself actually fortunate because I was able to rail it. I was able to find it was stolen, and I was able to have time immediately to go find information technology. Almost people can't do that," Simpson said.

Her quick action paid off. Several weeks subsequently ecoATM purchased Simpson's stolen telephone, the company did send it back to her – along with a gift card for her troubles. IMPD says ecoATM has been very responsive when information technology comes to recovering stolen phones that detectives trace to their machines.

The almost of import number y'all never knew yous had

Simpson probable would non have been able to get her phone back if she did non have access to a critical piece of information that most cellphone owners do non know: a unique serial number embedded into each phone.

That serial number is chosen an IMEI number.

Constabulary need that device identification number to search for your phone if it ever turns up missing or stolen. Simply remember, if your phone is missing or stolen, you won't have access to the device to find the number.

Then you need to discover the IMEI number and write information technology down now, then put it in a prophylactic place in case you need it later.

"Having that serial number for your device is incredibly helpful for law enforcement, and the sooner you can provide that number, the sooner we can begin to investigative," said Nugent. "If we take a four- or v-day delay, that tin lessen the opportunity we're going to have to recover your property."

Here'southward how to observe the IMEI number on your cellphone:

1. Punch *#06# on your cellphone. On many phones, this volition make the IMEI number announced every bit soon as yous dial the code.
2. On an iPhone, tap "Settings," then "General," followed by "About" and "IMEI" to notice the number.
3. On an Android telephone, tap "Settings" then "About Telephone" and "Status" to find the IMEI number.
4. Look for the IMEI number printed on the side of the original box that your new phone came in, if you still have information technology.
5. If your telephone has a removable battery, take out the battery and await underneath it. Some phones have the IMEI printed at that place.

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Source: https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/13-investigates-look-where-she-found-her-stolen-cellphone/531-245dae69-1eee-4e5e-9465-9f4aae6a9576