New 'Mobile News' podcast now online

The Mobile News podcast looks at crime this week, with contributions from Detective Inspector Stephen Leonard of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit and MICAF's Jack Wraith. Plus, as usual, we talk about the week's news headlines. You can download or listen free at TheFonecast.com and on the Mobile News website... and you'll find us on iTunes and via RSS too.

The Mobile News podcast is presented and produced by Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge at TheFonecast.com

Police investigate SIM sales following Mumbai attacks

Police in India have arrested two men - Tauseef Rehman and Mukhtar Ahmed - and charged them with fraud and conspiracy for using a false identity card to purchase 22 SIM cards. The cards were used by terrorists in Mumbai to make mobile phone calls during their attacks last month. [Source: NYTimes.com]

Mobiles to be made illegal in Scottish prisons

Ministers in Scotland have taken the first step towards outlawing mobile phones in prisons. The aim is to prevent mobiles being used for drug dealing or for organising criminal activities. From next month, possession of a mobile phone or SIM card in prison will become an offence - as will attempting to pass these items to offenders in prison. The Scottish Prison Service will also introduce mobile phone 'signal blockers' to stop mobiles from working. [Press release]

Mobile phones that shout for help

The Washington Post has an entertaining story about the ways that stolen mobile phones can 'report' a thief.

Robber caught after swapping mobile with victim

A 21 year-old man has been jailed for six months after stealing a mobile phone and handing over his own phone as compensation. Eneas Tanyongana from Harlow was arrested within hours of his offence. He 'd robbed his 16-year-old victim on a train in Hertfordshire, threatening to stab him if he didn’t hand over his mobile phone. When the boy asked what he was supposed to do without a phone, Tanyongana handed over his own phone, complete with contact details and photos. Police investigators used the information contained in Tanyongana’s phone to identify and arrest him. The victim's phone was recovered and CCTV footage was used to link the attacker to two other robberies. [Press release]

Crimestoppers anonymous text trial expands to cover London

The text message trial that encouraged the anonymous reporting of knife crime has been expanded to cover all schools in London. Crimestoppers points out that 21 young people have already died from knife-related incidents in London this year. [Press release]

Mobile phone sniffer dogs for US prisons

The state of Florida now has a 'sniffer dog' to prevent mobile phones from being smuggled into prisons. Its Department of Corrections has a 14-month-old Malinois (think 'Alsatian', but a little bit bigger) called Razor that'll be starting work next month. Her job is reinfored by a new law that carries a potential five-year prison term for anyone trying to smuggle in a mobile. [Source: Cellular-News.com]

Crimestoppers trials text service

Crimestoppers, the anonymous service that lets members of the public tip off the police about crime, has started a text message trial in the UK. It's been launched at three schools in London, with plans to expand it to the whole city and then across the country. Any text messages sent to the service are encrypted before being delivered, providing reassurance that messages can't be traced. The Crimestoppers trial will use a standard 5-digit SMS short code. [Sources: TheRegister.co.uk; 160characters.org]

£32,000 of iPhones stolen

119 Apple iPhones worth over £32,000 have been stolen from an O2 store in Basildon, reports Mobile (quoted in Cellular-News.com).

Man reports mobile phone 'theft' with phone still in pocket

The BBC has an amusing story from South Africa. Police in Pretoria say that a man walked into a police station to report that his mobile phone had been stolen at gunpoint. He gave the make, model and mobile number of the phone to a detective, who called the number of the phone at the end of the interview. The phone then rang in the man's pocket.