AT&T to Block Stolen Phones Starting Next Week

AT&T will launch a new service for reporting and blocking stolen devices on Tuesday, according to a trusted source. The service will allow customers to deny voice, data and SMS access to any individual phone or tablet while keeping their account intact, avoiding the inconvenience of a full SIM block.

The carrier is creating a stolen phone database to "prevent devices reported stolen from accessing wireless networks," whether it's AT&T or anyone else's, an AT&T spokesman explained. So if a thief tries to use a stolen phone to call a friend abroad or even send a text to someone down the street, service on the phone will be immediately suspended.

In April, AT&T - along with the other three major U.S. Carriers, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile – teamed up with the FCC and agreed to deny cell and data services to stolen phones as well as provide the serial numbers of those phones to a national database. Sprint and Verizon Wireless already have such a service, which is free to customers.

"When a customer reports a stolen or lost cellphone, they can list their phone in a database that will prevent anyone presenting the phone for activation from putting service on the phone," Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney said.

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