smartphones:-Be it Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, London, or New York—incidents of smartphone theft have become common across the world, know about it? 
smartphones:-The mystery of stolen smartphones is as shocking as it is complex. Be it Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, or big cities like London and New York, incidents of smartphone theft are common everywhere. The question arises that when a phone is stolen and it is so difficult to sell it, then where do these phones go?
According to the Daily Mail report, there is a large network of stolen phones, which is spread all over the world. And the most surprising thing is that your precious phone is delivered to countries like China in a few days.
What happens after the phone is stolen?
The phone is switched off immediately:
Whenever a phone is stolen, the thieves first switch it off so that tracking cannot be done.
Handed over to the broker:
The stolen phones are delivered to the local broker. When the broker collects 100-150 phones, these phones are sent to China and other countries via sea routes.
Unlocking and recycling in China:
In China’s Shenzhen city, which is the world’s largest second-hand smartphone market, phones are unlocked as soon as they arrive. Here experts bring the phone to factory settings within minutes.
Where do stolen phones go?
In a research, London Police found that more than 4000 stolen iPhones were tracked. Of these:
28% phones were found in Algeria.
20% phones were found in China.
7% were activated in Hong Kong and 3% in Pakistan.
China’s Shenzhen city is a big hub for these phones. Here stolen phones are sold as new or their parts are separated.
How are stolen phones used?
Reselling:
The phone is unlocked or taken to factory settings and sold in the second-hand market.
If the phone does not sell, its parts like screen, motherboard, speaker etc. are sold separately.
Data theft:
Many times the phone data is extracted and sold to cyber criminals.
Money can be stolen from your bank account, or relatives can be called and defrauded.
Use of precious metals:
Every smartphone contains 0.034 grams of gold, 0.34 grams of silver, and 0.015 grams of palladium.
These metals are extracted from the phone and sold. This process is called urban mining.
300 times more gold can be extracted from one ton of old iPhones than from one ton of gold ore.
What can be done?
Use of anti-theft technology:
Block the IMEI number.
Use features like Find My iPhone.
Be careful:
Reduce the use of phones in public places.
Always keep the phone in a safe place.
Police and other security agencies should do strong networking to prevent stolen phones.
This entire system of stolen smartphones shows how crime is progressing with technology. It is our responsibility to be alert and try to avoid such incidents.
