AT&T Begins Blocking Stolen Phones

Stolen phones and tablets are a major part of street crime these days. The Verge first reported that AT&T will launch a new service for stolen phones this week to make it more difficult for thieves to resell stolen devices. Today via email, a AT&T spokesperson confirmed that the service is now up and running.

Back in April, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that four top carriers including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile -- which serve 90 percent of US subscribers -- will create a centralized national database for stolen phones to prevent stolen phones from being reactivated.

AT&T does list ways for you to protect the data on your phone. We also put together a list of apps that you should have installed in the event that your phone is lost or stolen.