Police press campaign to stop the sale of ill-gotten cellphones

Calgary police have noticed a rise in the theft and sale ofcellphones and hope those purchasing a possibly pilfered phonewill check to see if the device has been flagged.

When buying a second-hand phone, citizens are asked to go toDevice Check Canada to see if the device has been registered as lost or stolen.

Det.Stephen Horton says consumers will see an ad campaign onwebsites, including Kijiji, to ensure that while people are out looking for hot deals, they don't pick up stolen goods.

He has a few suggestions for those buying phones online.

"When you're looking to buy a cellphone, ask for the IMEI number, check it out. If you see that someone is selling a bunch of cellphones all at once on one post or even if it's lots of separate posts all at the same time do some of your own digging, do some checks to see if any of this stuff is being reported."

The IMEI, orInternational Mobile Equipment Identity, isunique to each device and can be found in the phone's settings.

Those who have had phones snatched should go to the Device Check website to register their phone as stolen to help prevent the spread of ill-gotten goods.

There have been more than 600 stolen cellphones reported in Edmonton and Calgary over the past two years. So far this year, there have been 25 robberies at cellphone storesin both cities combined.