Lost or stolen?

“Stolen Phone Checker” to find out

CTIA, a US-based mobile industry trade group, has launched a tool called "Stolen Phone Checker" powered by GSMA Device Check which lets consumers in the US look up whether a smartphone has been reported lost or stolen.

The consumers can check up to five devices a day. "The service provides the wireless industry with the definitive, single source of real-time lost or stolen mobile device data,".

"GSMA Device Check" also helps determine the true device model authenticity, which helps calculate an accurate value. "Stolen Phone Checker" works by looking up a device's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier), a unique code that get assigned to every phone.

For iPhones, these are printed on the back but in other devices, these can be found in the settings menu. The service keeps a record of up to 10 years of a smartphone's history and the device's model information and capabilities.