JEDDAH: Customers of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) will now be able to have their cell phones disabled, making it impossible for thieves to use them.
According to Ahmed Al-Ajlan, a public relations officer at the STC, the new service allows customers to disable lost or stolen mobile phones by a single call to the telecom company.
“To obtain the service, all you need to do is bring proof of ownership to any STC office, give them the 15 digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number,” he said, adding that the IMEI numbers come with all phones and can be seen on screen by entering *#06#.
“With this service, the thief would never be able to use a stolen phone. Even if he sells it, it would be useless,” said Al-Ajlan.
He said the STC could reverse the process if a cell phone owner was to disable it mistakenly thinking it had been lost. He added that the service is now available to all customers free of charge and that the STC is the only telephone company in the Kingdom to offer the service.
Mona Al-Ahmed, 26, said her phone was stolen twice and now she is always worried whenever she goes out. “I am so glad to hear about this service. I believe it would limit the number of cell phone thefts. I’ve had two cell phones stolen, something that made me more protective of my phones than my handbag,” she added.
“I even stopped loading photos on my phone or taking pictures because I’m afraid it might get stolen,” she said. “I now know that if it is stolen I can disable it so the thief cannot use any function on the phone,” said Al-Ahmed.
Sarah Faleh said her phone was once stolen at a wedding. “I went to this wedding where cell phones with cameras were prohibited. People left their phones with the ladies who handled abayas at the entrance. When we were leaving, we found out that the phones had been stolen,” she said.
Faleh added that the women complained to those in charge, but to no avail. “We need such a service; at least we don’t have to worry about our pictures anymore,” she added.
“Thieves will now think twice before stealing cell phones. With this service, it would be useless to steal mobile phones,” she said.
