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Here on this blog I hope to get a conversation going amongst students, teachers, administrators, and parents about who, what, when, why, and where we should teach technology skills for the 21st century. I am technology teacher at Truckee High School in Truckee, CA and currently teach classes like digital media, e-learning, applications, and keyboarding -- yes...still important! :) Please Join the Conversation!

Monday, September 16, 2013

Have You Purchased a Used Smartphone?

Many of us have probably purchased or considered buying a used cell phone on www.craigslist.com or www.ebay.com but how do you make sure the phone is not stollen property.  As a child I was told that a "deal to good to be true is probably not true" but when faced with another two year service plan commitment to get an updated phone from my provider these used phones for sale online become really tempting.  On the flip side, I'm sure you or someone you know has also been the victim of a cell phone theft.  This is a fast growing crime that has plagued society and presented law enforcement with a new crime to fight.

Recently Apple has introduced its new iPhone 5 C line and the S model includes a fingerprint security system.  Experts say this is a step in the right direction towards protecting people from thieves who steal phones for resale on the black-market.  Read and listen to this story by NPR about the cell phone black-market problem.  However, what happens if it does not work perfectly and you can not get access to your phone?  Just thinking out-loud.

Have you had a phone stolen?  Have you purchased a used phone online?  Please share your experiences with this topic and what you have done to protect your own phone and/or to make sure what you purchased used was not stolen property.

48 comments:

  1. I think that having a more advanced security system on phones will help protect society, but also the thieves and stealers will probably soon find a new way how to hack into the phone. Overall I think that it is good that the law enforcement is going to become more involved in these crimes.

    B.H.

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    1. I think that security systems are very strong in most cases but there are always flaws and ways to get in.

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    2. I have never bought a used phone, nor have I had one stolen from me. I think that this fingerprint detector will only be a big thing for a little while. I feel like there is too much that could go wrong with the detector. Nobody would be able to get into your phone, even if you wanted them too. I think this fingerprint detector will be more of a pain in the butt than a helpful tool. I am anxious to see how this product sells and if it works well.

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  2. Apple is doing a great job with this new model because they will make profit and they will decrease the amount of phone theft by at least 50%

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  3. yeah that is cool that they did that with the iphone 5c but people just needs to make sure that they don't miss place their phone.

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  4. I have never bought a used phone, but I know people who have had there phone stolen. I think that stealing phones would not be such a big deal if everyone had a secure fingerprint lock system. Markus Brun

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  6. Having a security system like that is great but it wont stop the thieves from stealing the Iphone's .


    Lupita padilla

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    1. I think the new security system is pretty cool because it will decrease Iphones being stolen because the thief's because they cant access the phone

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  7. Ian S.
    I have never had a phone stolen or bought a phone online or used, but I hear about it happening all the time. As NPR says, the odds are against Apple and other smartphone makers. No matter what they do, the Black Market will only adapt and become smarter.

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  8. Law Enforcement Seems To Get Ready For The Streets Which Is Great ! The Bad Part Is That Thiefs Will Always Find A Way To Steal &&" Hack A Phone Without Getting Caught .


    M.C.L

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  9. I have never purchased a used phone. I have gotten my moms old phone when she updated to something newer once, but other than that I get a new phone with my upgrade so it is cheaper. I think it is risky to buy a used iPhone from a random person because you don't know if it is stolen property or not

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  10. i did have a phone stolen before, and i think it's a good idea to a security system on the iPhone 5c because it's a harder way for thieves to steal it. Even though it may not affect them, some will still find a way to steal them.


    Laura Martinez

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  11. I have had my phone stolen, but I had a keypad lock on start-up, so the person who took it just left it lying around and I got it back. They were only a kid anyway.
    And I have bought a used Phone, but it was an old model, and not worth the effort of stealing.

    M. Almond

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  12. No, i have not a had a phone stolen. No, i have not brought a phone online it's to risky. What i have done to protect my iphone is make sure i have it in my pocket every hour. Also i make sure i have find my iphone on so if i loss or it gets stolen i can find it. Last i don't tell anyone my passcode.

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  13. Devyn H

    I have never bought a used iphone. I don't do this because when I buy it i have no idea if there is something the matter with the phone. I have no doubt that someone would steel a phone then trade it in of money. This gives me another reason to not buy used technology.

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  14. I have never bought a used phone, nor have I had one stolen from me. I think that this fingerprint detector will only be a big thing for a little while. I feel like there is too much that could go wrong with the detector. Nobody would be able to get into your phone, even if you wanted them too. I think this fingerprint detector will be more of a pain in the butt than a helpful tool. I am anxious to see how this product sells and if it works well.
    ~Amanda R.

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  15. I have never purchased a used phone, but my phone has been stolen after I accidentally left it somewhere and it was never turned in. After that, I always keep a passcode on my phone and have it close to me to protect and prevent it from being stolen. To confirm that the phone I purchased was not stolen, I usually just purchase a brand new cell phone.

    Brenna W.

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  16. I personally have never purchased a used phone before. I can see why some people would though. The chance to get a nice phone for cheaper than retail price is hard for some people to pass up. I have never had a phone stolen either. I just wonder how the people who have their phone stolen feel about the black market and if they would ever purchase a phone from there. I think the new security by apple is a great idea, I'm just waiting to see if it has any glitches or issues.
    -Corinne D.

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  17. i have never purchased a used phone mostly because i like new things. Besides there are too many risks of buying something online ,you just dont know.and i always make sure i have my electronics on me at all times most of everything is stolen from your backpack -Aaron B

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  18. I've never bought a used phone or had one stolen.
    Talia d.

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  19. I think that security systems are very strong in most cases but there are always flaws and ways to get in.

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  20. I wouldn't buy a used phone and i've never had a phone stolen. I don't know that the fingerprint technology will stop people from stealing phones and i don't like the security itself to begin with anyway.

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  21. I personally have never bought a used phone off the internet. I think that the protection and security is pretty good but the hackers and thieves are finding ways to still access the information.

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  22. Gavin B.
    I don't think that this attempt to hinder the theft of cell phones will be as successful as expected.

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  23. I've never bought a used phone or had a phone stolen. Although, the fingerprint things will make it harder to steal and resell phones there will always be a person that can find a way around the security system.

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  24. I have never had a phone stolen, neither have i purchased a used phone online. in my opinion it would be nice if the fingerprint feature was optional, i personally wouldn't trust a phone that wanted my fingerprint. I don't think that stealing a phone (or stealing anything for that matter) should be considered a crime and making it a crime won't help anybody, just make people criminals.

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  25. I have not boughten a used or new phone from online but I dont think the fingerprint security would prevent people from stealing phones. The technology will be the same.

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  26. I have never bought a phone online. I think the new passcode will not stop the attempt of theft because people are desperate.

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  27. I have never bought a used phone off the internet, but i believe craigslist or ebay are not the best way to buy one because you never know if its stolen or not so i would suggest
    buying it off a different website -Airon Yarbrough

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  28. I have never had a phone that has been stolen, and I have never bought a stolen phone. In my opinion, the security system will work well. But hackers will still try to find a way.

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  29. The fingerprint feature is probably not going to help very much because there are a lot of good hackers out there that could still get in to it

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  30. In have not had my phone stolen and I have not bought a stolen phone. I think the new security system is going to work well.

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  31. I have had my phone stole before, I am not sure if the fingerprint identification will work, I feel like the hackers will find a way around it.

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  32. I believe that the fingerprint wont work and it will glitch and be easy to get around.

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  33. I have never purchased a used iPhone or ever had mine stolen. THe fingerprint can probably work but there are people who are smart enough to by pass the security. It will stop most hackers from getting into the iPhone but it wont stop people from stealing them

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  34. I think the fingerprint security system is a good idea, however I am skeptical about possible flaws.

    Shelby G.

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  35. Ive never had a phone stolen and Ive never bought a phone off the internet. Ive always gotten mine through the store. Its a phone, there will always be a way to hack into it. Having a fingerprint wont change anything.

    Brianna C. 4th Period Google

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  36. i have had my phone stolen before and it really is a bummer, so the new finger scanner and having to put a password before resetting the phone is going to be really great, but could sometimes get in the way.

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  37. I havent had my phone stolen. I havent bought a used smarthphone. With this new fingerprint lock, i think theft will be minimized. Apple is great.

    MARCOS COTA
    4TH PERIOD GOOGLE

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  38. I've never had my phone stolen and have not bought any used phones. I think that the fingerprint security system is a great idea for iPhone's because it can prevent people from stealing your phone, although there's people that can still find a way to do so.

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  39. I have never bought a used smartphone or have had a phone stolen, but I do think that the fingerprint identification will work for a time, until hackers find a way to bypass that as well.
    Brandon Kinter

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  40. I have never had a phone stolen or have lost it.The finger scanner is pretty great,but there are hackers that can actually try and hack into it.

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  41. Lost my first response and here is a summary of it. The fingerprint wont help since hackers could get around it and ven maybe use it to get your information or use it for crime. Taylor P.

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  42. I think that no matter what people will find a way to get passed the security systems like people always have.

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  43. i personaly have had my phone stolen and its a horrible experiance, even though apple has tied to a more secure thing it wont stop people from stealing phones and keep sealing them to people around the world

    ~Maria Duran

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  44. i dont have a phone but i think the finger print will work Derick Walker

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Thanks for joining in on our conversation!