Be informed about the stolen cellphone blacklist

The Canadian Telecommunications Association administers a stolen cellphone blacklist program called Device Check Canada. This aims to address the problem of smartphone theft by making blacklisted smartphones useless to the criminals who steal them.

Person taking a cellphone out of a bag

How does the blacklist work?

Lost or stolen smartphones are added to the blacklist by cellphone service providers. This occurs when the device’s owner reports the device loss or theft, and provides the device’s IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). The IMEI number is a unique code that identifies a device to a service network.

The service provider adds the device’s IMEI to the blacklist. The device is then blocked and cannot be reactivated by any service provider that is participating in the blacklist program.

What to be aware of

What to do right now

If your qualifying device gets stolen

If you are considering buying a used smartphone

For more information, please contact you cell phone provider.

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