Dar Es Salaam — SAMSUNG Electronics has embarked on a campaign against stolen, used and counterfeit phones in Tanzania, with the views of increasing its stake in the local market that is infested by counterfeit mobile phones.

The company has set up an SMS (Short Message Service) application that allows consumers to check whether a purchased phone has a warranty, was stolen or sold as secondhand.

The campaign is targeting Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, and will eventually be rolled out in 15 countries in East and Central Africa, according to Samsung General manager, mobile phones division, East and Central Africa, Patricia King'ori, "It is the buyer's right to confirm that they are paying for the right quality product under warranty .and, vendors are duty-bound to provide their customers with such assurance," she told reporters in Dar es Salaam today.

Ms King'ori said the region remains home to lots of phones imported from Dubai, most of them not covered by warranty. The mobile phone theft also remains rampant and in some cases unscrupulous businesspeople were just changing the covers of secondhand phones and selling them as brand new.

"It is always important for consumers to buy from genuine Samsung dealers where they can be guaranteed of quality products," said Ms King'ori. She warns against the most preferred style of buying phones from street corners, the habit she described as risky and costly.