GUARDIA Civil officers have created a personalised code to help them track mobile phones if they are lost or stolen.
Known as an IMEI, the 15-digit code used to be printed under the battery of mobile phones, but nowadays can be easily obtained by dialling *#06#.
There is no need to press the green button to start a call – the number will appear immediately on the screen, and the phone owner should make a note of it and keep it safe.
Including this code on the statement to the police, or denuncia, when the phone is lost or stolen will help officers to trace it and also supply crucial individual information assisting them in identifying it.
Additionally, contacting the operator and supplying the code allows the entire phone, as well as the SIM card, to be blocked, meaning it is no use to whoever steals it or to anyone to whom they try to sell it.
On their Twitter site @guardiacivil, the force says: “Identify your IMEI and keep it safe by dialling *#06# on your mobile.
“If one day you lose it or it gets stolen, make a note of it on your denuncia.
“This way, you may have more of a chance of getting it back.”
