25 of lost cell phones are found where

Stolen cell phones

MOBILE, AL (WALA) - On Christmas Eve 2014, Renee Eiland says her iPhone was snatched right from under her nose.

"It was stolen the Friday night before Christmas at Target. taken right off the top of my buggy," Eiland explained.

She retraced her steps as soon as she realized it was gone.

"I didn't dream that someone had stolen it. I thought I was dumb, I set it down - I didn't realize it - and when I did I went back to where we were in the store. And as my husband was looking at the find my iPhone app on his, we saw it driving down the street. It was moving; we could watch it."

Her personal contacts, pictures, calendar events and all. Two words described the way she felt that day: sick and angry.

But Eiland is not alone. Fox10News did some digging and we found some 1,400 phones were reported stolen in the area in 2014.

• Mobile 1,284
• Daphne 58
• Fairhope 25
• Spanish Fort 19

"Well, this is an expensive piece of electronics. If you lose your phone, or if you just want a new phone without a contract, these are $600, $700, $1,000 phones. So that's an expensive electronics that's very small and very easy to stick in your pocket and steal," said Lt. Judd Beedy with the Daphne Police Department.

Getting the device back isn't as easy as it is for thieves to swipe it. Often the phones end up on websites for sale, cashed in at kiosks or pawn shops.

State law says all pawn shops in Alabama have to report what they take in. Police match the property by using the IMEI or serial number, and if you don't know yours - officers say there's no way for them to marry the reports to the phone that may have been turned in at the pawn shop.

IMEI stands for International, Mobile, Equipment, Identity. If lost or stolen, call your cell phone provider, report your IMEI number and request that they put it on the block list. That way crooks can't gain from your loss.

"The IMEI number is valuable, because there is a blocked list that is being shared amongst many of the cell phone providers. So basically, if you report your phone stolen, it goes on that list to keep it from big activated from someone else on our network or another network," said Nate Goodwin, a Malbis AT&T Store Manager.

Eiland says she didn't know anything about the IMEI number. She never recovered her phone, either, even though she tracked it down to a specific house.

You can find your IMEI number by pressing *#06# or by looking on the back of the phone under the battery.

It's also best to have a pass-code.

"If you do not have a pass-code anyone can access your phone," added Goodwin.

Eiland has since replaced her phone. She has this message for the person who took her old one: "Get a job and work for your own stuff and get some character. That was maddening, that someone thinks it's okay to come and just take what doesn't belong to them."

Police say when it comes to buying stolen cell phones, know what you're purchasing. Being in possession of a stolen cell phone can land you a fine, jail time or both.

There are several websites where you can enter the IMEI number to see if a phone has been reported stolen before you buy, including CheckESNFree,com. Officers say, however, it's best to play it safe and don't bother buying a cell phone from someone off the streets or from a third party website.