Havana Cuba. — Smart mobile phones (smartphones) have become a fundamental tool in our lives. However, because they accompany us everywhere, there is always the risk of loss or, even worse, theft.
Between the Island there is an increase in cell phone theft. Criminals take advantage of the demand for these devices and their black market value to commit criminal acts. The impact goes beyond the economic, since it implies the violation of the privacy of the users and the loss of important personal data.
A team of CubaNet contacted “user service” of the Telecommunications Company of Cuba (ETECSA) to know the steps that an affected person must follow.
According to the state company, the owner of the device “must call the user service number (52642266) to report the lost line and thus be able to block it in order to contain the loss of balance, suffer the consequences of identity theft, among others.” cybercrimes”.
“If you want to include the mobile in the blacklist, the owner of the line has to go to an ETECSA commercial office and make the request,” said the employee.
Blacklisting the lost phone makes it easier for the rightful owner to identify and recover it. If another user inserts a SIM card in the lost phone, it is automatically locked, which would also help to locate it.
We approached a monopoly office in the Havana capital, where they told us that, currently, “the platform to include phones in the blacklist is not working due to errors” and they do not know “when it will work again.”
The blacklist works by relying on the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI), which is a unique identification number assigned to each mobile phone. This works like a unique serial number, allowing it to be identified worldwide. The IMEI consists of fifteen digits and is used to distinguish one phone from another.
The line remains linked to the owner’s IMEI number in the provider’s database. However, ETECSA requests the number of the affected person as a requirement to be able to include the mobile in the blacklist.
According to the state company, “knowing the IMEI can make it easier for you to take steps such as recovering the phone in case of loss.” This unique number can be obtained by dialing the code *#06#.
What to do in case of loss?
It is important to take precautions to avoid as much damage as possible in the event of a loss. It is considered good practice to save the make, model and serial number (IMEI) to provide details, either to the police or to the service provider, this can expedite the possible recovery of the device.
In addition, the client must have activated the protection of the line with a PIN code and a secure password to access the phone, which helps prevent the criminal from accessing our data.
operating systems IOS and Android They offer mechanisms to find the location of the device securely via the Internet.
Finally, the owner must go to the nearest ETECSA commercial office to block the line and include the device in the blacklist.
