The SUTEL – the Superintendency of Telecommunications – is warning consumers to be careful when buying cellular phones lines on the street from street vendors.
Although the selling of cell lines on the street is not illegal, authorities say consumers should be careful and ask for the seller’s ID (cedula), that is required in most cases to activate the line.
In most cases, the street vendors are selling already activated lines. However, if the line is not activated, a customer with a line purchased on the street cannot activate it unless they have the cedula of the original buyer of the line.