Posted on 06/23/2007 7:49:59 AM PDT by Bronzy
http://www.crossville-chronicle.com/local/local_story_172234222.html Russians with 105 pre-paid cell phones draw attention of police. This story caught my attention. What is with all the bulk cell phone buyers?
They can be used to explode bombs.
Buy low. Sell high.
Simple, eh?
Dude’s belt must look like yers. ;)
They are being sold below cost here in the U.S. where the sellers recoup their expenses with air-time fees. Elsewhere in the world the phones get reprogrammed to work on other networks that have a far lower cost per minute, but the phones there are sold at cost — much greater than here. It is only a matter of buying a cheap phone here, reprogramming it, and selling it there for a profit. The Costco in Anchorage, Alaska gets visited by Russians coming across the Bering Strait to do that.
I’m not big on limits on individual liberty, but I think pre paid cells have created problems in many areas; terrorists, ordinary criminals, drug dealers, run of the mill harrassers. Maybe it’s time to either eliminate them of create a way to track and I D them and their owners.
But yes, they can be used as detonators.
Ping
They can be used to explode bombs.What I've heard is that prepaids are good for anybody worried about wiretaps. By the time somebody get's a warrant to tap you you're done with the phone and you can toss it. You can also switch phones easily making yourself harder to trace.
Pre-paids are also good for people who can’t afford otherwise.
Hmm, you’re right.
Criminal activity.
Sellers of prepaid cell service (like my Tracfone) apparently do not keep records of calling activity.
I found this out when my cellphone went missing. After making what I thought was a thorough search in my office space and at my home, I called customer service to see if someone had found it and was using it (intending to turn it off if that was the case). That was when I was informed by the service representative that they didn’t track call activity. I just had the choice to turn it off or not. I decided to search some more and ultimately I found it at the very bottom of an interior pocket of my laptop case. I had “searched” the case previously. (Note to self: when you think you have thoroughly search something, that a break, then search it again.)
I’m not sure if there is a TOTAL lack of traceability in these cellphone systems or if it is just not available very easily. I suppose, with sufficient reason, you could poll network nodes to see where a telephone was located and when. Since telephone call activity is logged by the telephone company primarily for the purpose of billing charges, in a prepaid system this would be an unnecessary activity once the system had validated your telephone number and the fact that you had paid airtime on the phone.
I appreciate all the thoughts from everyone. Guess money might be the motive. Still, I think the worse because my husband says that we are being invaded and they are just getting ready for the attack.
Government solutions are usually worse that the original problem.
AND the government ‘fix’ is forever. Think Social Security, the income tax, the EPA, OSHA, gun control or any other of ten thousand government ‘solutions’.
BTW, did you know that the government ‘fix’ for Virgina Tech is to allow your doctor to put you on a ‘ can’t possess a gun” list? We all might really need that unregistered prepaid cell phone.
Both right. Use once or for a short time and it can’t be traced, then used to detonate a bomb.
“I bought a Tracfone 2 years ago to try out. After registering, I started getting 2 emails, 2 cell calls, and 2 regular phone call every other day from TracFone”
I use a tracfone (saving at least 40 bucks a month) and don’t get emails, the wife does though, ha, ha. I have never received a call from them either. Will have to ask the wife if she has.
The guys in texas were seperating the batteries from the phones. Can the batteries be used for meth?
Never have had any trouble at all from Tracfone during the three years I have had the cellphone. I do occasionally get a email from them. (I normally delete them without opening based on the subject line.) Absolutely no sales cellphone or telephone calls.
Maybe it is because I have always signed up for the one year activation. (Don’t use the thing enough to keep it activated through regular minute purchases.)
Have saved a lot of money over the Verizon cellphone I used to have. Particularly enjoy not having to figure out the #@*!ing cellphone bill each month.
“Untraceable” cell phones can be ‘tapped’.
Think about it.
You call a line the Feds have a tap on and they get your digit spill. They now have your telephone number. With that they can then (nontechnical term here) muckel onto that number and record any calls.
Finding the caller OTOH, quite dificult. So it would pay to switch phones often and never carry one that has been used for illegal activity.
Oh, and leave it off, so as not to be carrying a live bug/tracker. (http://news.com.com/2100-1029_3-6140191.html)
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