Cell Phones Auctioned off Contained Data

Missouri’s athletic department sold 25 cell phones at a university surplus auction over the summer, and buyer Mike Bellman of Columbia, who paid $190, discovered the phones had not been erased. KansasCity.com reports.

Information on the phones hadn’t been erased. Bellman found himself in possession of all kinds of information, including text messages, contact numbers and e-mails from folks like football coach Gary Pinkel, basketball coach Mike Anderson and athletic director Mike Alden.

Bellman’s original intent was to sell the phones for parts on eBay. Now, he’s asking for $3,000 for the phones as a collector’s item.

But it comes with a caveat. Bellman said he’ll require any buyer to sign an affidavit claiming to be a fan of the Missouri Tigers and won’t sell them to, say, operatives from Kansas or Nebraska.

Related: - Sold Cell Phones Share Your Secrets

emily | 5:40 PM | News, Buzz |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2009/09/024620.htm

Tweet