If you do you NEED to do this. press *#06# into your phone. It will give you a long serial number. write it down. If your phone gets stolen this is the easiest (mabey only) to deactivate it so YOU don't get charged. just call your service provider if it does get stolen, then give them your serial number.

P.S. The cell phone companies did not want to release this, but it somehow got out.

Sounds silly to me. If I got my cell phone stolen (I don't have one) I would just call my provider and give them my phone number and that should do it.
Why would you need a special code number? are the phone companies that stupid that they can't deactivate your phone knowing your phone number?
Iven

The whole thing sounded phony from the start, and the postscript just added to the phoniness. (I just realized how punny that sentence is)

Hi, I got this message a couple of days ago from a friend of mine,before you do anything read this,TIP OF THIS WEEK CAME FROM ANOTHER EMAIL - it is their words not mine!

I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine (9), zero (0), the pound sign (#) and then hang up.

Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons. I have also verified this information with UCB Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic and GTE. Please be bewaring. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE.

The GTE Security Department requested that I share this information with EVERYONE I KNOW. PLEASE pass this on to everyone YOU know.

If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organizations you are connected with, I encourage you to pass on this information to them.

After checking with Verizon they said it was true, so DO NOT DIAL (9), ZERO (0), THE POUND SIGN # AND HANG UP FOR ANYONE.

Hi Mike, thanks for this important info. There're so many people trying to rip off others and this is certainly one of the lastest scams. I'm going to cut and paste your article into my emails and send to folks I know at work and friends.

I'm not lieing. it's true. try it.

Hi blazes,i believe you,your tip was for mobile phones ,this scam I mentioned is aimed at companies that do not have a direct outside line ,i was just making people aware of some of the scams out there,and posting on this site helps,apparently this is an old scam which has been going on for a long time but still occurring ,if you would like the home page for this I will put it up,mike

I had a cell phone that had a feature where all you had to call it and dail in a code that would deactivate it.

Don't all cell phones have SIM cards? (at least GSM standard phones do) that's the "brain" of the phone, and that's what you need to inactivate (your number, that is). Though inactivating the phone as well is a good way of preventing the phone from being sold forward.

A funny fact: almost everyone in Finland has a cell phone. There's more cellphones than conventional phones. I've had one since 1992. We're very mobile people here Though Nokia being from Finland explains a lot.

I just don't let people steal my stuff.

Thanks

I found a few references where this allows a cell to be unlock from a GSM network but I also found this on the topic which make this particualar series of keystrokes not a very smart move unless you are troubleshooting a specifc problem. you could lose your phones ability to connect to your own service provider.

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/3935



-----ALSO------


Be Informed concerning the #-9-0 Phone Scam info above.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/jailcall.asp

Most phones in the US are not on the GSM standard, and do not have the easily removable SIM card.

And that will come in handy when it gets stolen.

Even with GSM phones, the main second hand stolen phone market centers around the phone itself, not the line. The mentioned number is called IMEI(International Mobile Equipment Identity) and can be found on the back of the battery as well. Some GSM carriers (There is a law in Turkey, which forces all of them to do it) support a feature of the GSM standart and blacklist these phones if they get reported. In case the thief sells the phone the new user won't be able to access these networks. It won't benefit you directly but it reduces crime.

I still don't own a cell phone. I had one some four years ago, got the bill, didn't like what I saw and got rid of it. This coming from a guy who's really conservative on talk time!

I asked the phone co. to explain the 98,000 taxes, they did while making it sound simple, wonderful, and something everyone did, and I said "goodbye" to this day.

I do not have a cell phone, and am proud of that fact. I think cell phones are a nuisance, and are overvalued in our society and are also overused. Very few people are THAT important that they need for the world to have access to them constantly. A pet peeve of mine are people who shop while chatting, and are obviously consulting with the person on the other end as to what brand of potato chips to buy, for example. I also hate the fact that most people don't think to turn off their phone while watching a movie, or live performance, or even at a restaurant. I also find it amazibng that people feel the need to chat on the phone while being waited on at places like the bank or post office - as I said before - very few people are THAT important that they need to be in constant touch with the world.

In response to Marvello:

I now have a cell phone due to the fact that as a single parent I need to be able to have my Daughter's school get in touch with me in case of an emergency and other Family members can't be contacted. My daughter took ill one day at school and because the STUPID company I work for told the school that they had no employee with my name, my daughter had to sit in the nurses office until school let out and my sister was there to pick her up.
Cell phones can be a very useful tool but like any tool they can and do get misused by some people. If you don't want a cell phone, Great! but I feel much better about my Daughter's wellfare now that I have one and I know I can call for help if I find myself stranded with a broken down vehicle.
-Iven

Is that why they are called "cell" phones? .... ..

I use a pre-paid cell phone.