Mobile Phone Related Fraud – Why you need to join the MobiCHECK® SHARE Network

The rising cost of smartphones has increased mobile phone fraud and theft. The latest ONS crime figures compiled from the Crime Survey for England and Wales show that more than 400,000 mobile phones were reported stolen in the 12-month period ending March 2017.

That creates a serious challenge for recyclers and secondary market buyers. How can a business be sure that the devices it has acquired have not been stolen or reported lost? MobiCode has worked on that problem since 2011.

MobiCHECK SHARE, the Secure High Street and Recycler Exchange, is MobiCode’s collaborative network for the secondary mobile market. It brings together data feeds from operators, insurers, recyclers and the police so participants can share mobile device history in real time.

In addition, MobiCHECK SHARE links with the GSMA on a global scale. That connection helps strengthen efforts to reduce mobile device crime and fraud.

Through the MobiCHECK SHARE initiative, MobiCode and its partners work together to limit the ability of criminals to profit from mobile phone fraud.

What Are the Key Objectives of MobiCHECK SHARE?

• Address the increasing cost of criminal activity in device recycling.
• Encourage collaboration between industry peers as part of a shared approach to protection.
• Offer additional protection to device recyclers against internal fraud and theft.

Should Your Company Join MobiCHECK SHARE?

MobiCHECK SHARE brings together companies involved in the secondary market to reduce the window of opportunity for device theft. The network gives members access to live lookups and automated alerts. As a result, businesses can identify suspicious devices at the point of purchase and decide whether to refuse or seize them.

Joining the network gives businesses another layer of protection against device theft. It also supports a wider effort to reduce the routes through which suspicious devices can be sold. By contrast, a company that does not receive hotlist alerts may increase its exposure to those risks.

Members must sign an information-sharing agreement. They must also agree not to purchase devices reported on the hotlist and to work with other members to help identify criminals.

Members of MobiCHECK SHARE include high-street retailers such as GAME and CeX, as well as insurance companies and law enforcement agencies.

If you would like to join the MobiCHECK SHARE network and take part in the fight against mobile phone theft and fraud, register your interest here.