Picture: Ian Currie

North West Metro Regional Crime Squad Detective Inspector Wayne Newman said if a phone was blocked it was less valuable to an offender.

“Almost 13,700 mobile phones were stolen in Victoria last year,” Det Insp Newman said.

“These thefts are a great inconvenience and frustration to owners and resource intensive for Victoria Police.

“If we work as a community to ensure the IMEI blocking function is activated on stolen phones we should eventually reduce the number of thefts as offenders realise they are no longer valuable.

“We also encourage buyers of second-hand phones to request proof of ownership and perform an IMEI check on the handset before making a purchase.”

IMEI blocking is a free service which can be requested by the owner of the phone to the telecommunications service provider it is contracted to.

The process can be made easier by having your IMEI recorded.

There are numerous ways to find the IMEI however it can be found by entering *#06# into your phone.

To check the status of a second hand phone go to the Austalian Mobile Telecommunications Association website at http://www.amta.org.au/.