KUALA LUMPUR: A "used phone trade-in agreement" has been introduced to protect mobile phone dealers from unknowingly buying stolen phones.

The agreement form was developed by the Malaysian Mobile and Communication Association (PPTM) and is now available to its members, who are mobile phone dealers.

The form records the information of the used phone seller such as name, address, IC details and phone IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number.

From the IC and IMEI number, police will then have information on the seller in case the handphone turns out to be a stolen item.

"The form will only be handed over to the police in case an investigation takes place," said PPTM president Keng Soon at a joint press conference with MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong here Thursday.

The agreement form has also been approved the police's Bukit Aman Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department.

The issue of handphone dealers being cheated by sellers trading in used phones has been ongoing for years, said Chong.

He said there were many cases where the handphone dealer would innocently receive the item from the sellers only to find out after the transaction that it was a stolen item.

"In some cases, handphone dealers would end up being investigated by the police for retailing stolen goods, despite not knowing that the handphone was stolen," he said.

While the agreement form will only formally be introduced on Dec 1, PPTM has started distributing it to its 700 members.

The agreement form will only be available to PPTM members.

Plaza Low Yat executive area general manager Patrick Honan said he supports the implementation of the agreement form as it is a measure to protect dealers and build trust between them and shoppers.

-The Star-