Cell Phone Theft Prevention Act of 2022

Detective Brian Simonsen Memorial Act of 2022 or the Cell Phone Theft Prevention Act of 2022

This bill sets out requirements to prevent the sale of stolen smartphones.

Specifically, a commercial provider of mobile or data services may not knowingly provide its services on a smartphone that has been reported stolen by an authorized user. When a user makes such a report, the bill further requires that the provider transmit the report to a central registry of stolen smartphones. Providers may not provide their services on a smartphone that is included in the registry.

Additionally, the bill makes it a crime to knowingly

• sell a smartphone if its mobile device identification number (i.e., a number or signal that identifies a specific device) is listed as stolen on the registry; or
• remove, obliterate, tamper with, or alter the mobile device identification number, including by facilitating such conduct through hardware or software.

Violators are subject to a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.

The bill also requires any smartphone manufactured for the U.S. market to have (1) a mobile device identification number, or (2) anti-theft functionality that is available to the consumer at no cost.