The federal government has launched a campaign to encourage owners of cellphones to report the theft or loss of their devices to authorities.
The vast majority of delinquents involved in organized crime in Mexico use cellphones that have been stolen, statistics indicate. According to Jorge Carlos Hurtado, director of the National Public Security System (SNSP), assailants make off with cellphones in 45 percent of all robberies, including muggings and burglaries of homes and businesses.
In the new campaign, titled Campaña Nacional para el Reporte y Bloqueo de Telefonos Robados o Extraviados, cellphone owners may call a number to their provider that gives them a code that can be used to block their phones in case of loss or theft.
The number to call to obtain the code is #*06#.