‘How to trace your missing cellphone’ article incorrect
A reader tried the process after his daughter's brand new cellphone was stolen on campus
IT has come to light that an article published in EXPRESS last week about how to trace a missing cellphone, contained false information.
Louis Reynders tried to trace the cellphone using the steps in the article. “We discovered the email address did not work or even existed. I know of several other people who sent emails to the same address without success,” Reynders said.
The information for the article was supplied by Capt Jethro Mtshali, official spokesman for Kempton Park SAPS.
When EXPRESS searched on the internet for the aforementioned email address, numerous articles appeared stating it was a hoax. EXPRESS also checked the email address via a free email verification website and found that the email ID was indeed non-existent.
According to several web pages, cop@vsnl.net, is a dysfunctional official email ID of the Chennai Police in India, which was apparently used to help people who had lost their phones.
The Hindu newspaper published an article online in 2006 about how the police in Chennai encouraged local residents who lost their cellphones to contact the CCB (Central Crime Branch) authorities. They could register their complaints through this the email, cop@vsnl.net.
Since then, people started forwarding messages about using this email address to trace a missing cellphone.
“Since 2006, due to some technical reason, this mail ID stopped working but as it is in the public forum, until today it is circulated online through forwarded mails. So people, due to these mails, think that this service is still active,” according to IMEI Tracker.
According to one of EXPRESS’ readers, this information had also been circulated on WhatsApp in the past.
EXPRESS apologises for any inconvenience caused by the article. The information was deemed to be accurate based on the fact it came from the police.
Mtshali apologised on behalf of the station for disseminating false information.
“We received the information from a source and believed it to be true. We then shared it with local media as a way of spreading crucial information that could help community members in any way.
“We were not aware that this information was false and we regret misleading the public,” Mtshali said.
