The unearthing of an alleged racket of selling stolen mobile phones after changing the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers has raised serious concerns on safety of users’ data and internal security in general.
“If the IMEI numbers are changed, the stolen mobile phone can fall into the hands of terrorists, who can convey their messages without the risk of identification or tracing,” said a senior police officer. Vipin hired his accomplices based in Gaffar Market to change the codes. The officer said only a few mobile phone repairing shops in the market provide these services and generally hire either hackers or software engineers for the job as it needs a certain amount of expertise and skill.
“Even though the number is engraved in the hardware of the phone, it is activated through a software. The hackers generally use different software to generate fake IMEIs. The cost to get it changed for one phone comes to nearly Rs.500,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The most common software used for the job is Spider although some brand-specific hacking software is also used.