14 December,2009 08:34 AM IST | | Chandran Iyer
After government bans Chinese phones, companies come up with software to clone genuine IMEI numbers for just Rs 100
Spiderman, the comic hero created by Stan Lee, may be an adorable crime fighter. In India, yet another Spiderman has created havoc and is posing a serious security problem in the world of cell phones.
This 'Spiderman' has defeated the government's efforts to stop calls on Chinese unbranded cellphones, which do not have genuine International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. In a bid to make a few quick bucks, unscrupulous cell phone shop owners have started using a software known as Spiderman Box that helps them clone genuine IMEI numbers from registered cellphones into Chinese ones by just paying Rs 100.
Serious issue
However, this move can have serious repercussions and pose a security threat as this can be misused by terrorists.
Recently, the government had stopped calls to all mobiles phones, which do not have IMEI numbers. They had askedu00a0 people who own unbranded cellphones without IMEI numbers to get these numbers written on their cellphones through authorised agencies. They were given a deadline of November 30 to comply with the directive and asked to pay Rs 199. After that no IMEI numbers will be issued.
But the entire exercise has fallen flat as cloned IMEI numbers are being issued not only in big cities like Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chennai but also in several smaller towns in India, according to mobile shop owners.
Security concern
This poses a big security threat, as terrorists or underworld operatives use a Chinese cellphone which has a cloned IMEI number for nefarious activities, and an innocent person whose IMEI numberu00a0 matches with that of the terrorist could be arrested.u00a0
According to Mehboob Shaikh, a mobile shop owner in Nigdi near Pune who was selling genuine IMEI number, the business of writing fake IMEI numbers in Chinese mobiles is flourishing in a big way not only in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and several other metros but also in smaller cities.u00a0
"We, who were authorised to sell genuine IMEI numbers are at loss because, the government has asked us to stop selling the IMEI numbers, but the cloned IMEI numbers are being sold by unscrupulous elements in a big way.
The market is now flooded with Chinese mobiles with fake IMEI numbers posing a serious security threat.
Afsar Sheikh from AR Communications, the biggest authorised dealer of IMEI numbers in Maharashtra, who is based in Nagpur, said, "Cloned cell phones are a big problem now. The government wanted to stop calls to cellphones without IMEI numbers so they appointed several agents through MSAIA, a Delhi based agency. But people are getting these numbers written on their cellphones through unauthorized shops. As a result, not only is the government losing revenue but these cellphones are also posing a serious security threat."
Another dealer Ashfaq Bera said there are 2.5 crore Chinese mobile sets in India.u00a0 Barring a few, most of them have fake IMEI numbers.
"To get a genuine IMEI number a customer has to pay Rs 199 and also submit documents, including his photograph. Therefore, in the event of misuse of the cellphone, the owner can easily be intercepted by the police. But if the owner of the cell phone has a phone with fake IMEI, then it is not only difficult to arrest the real culprit but an innocent person can be arrested" he added.
