FAQ: Fraud What is Cellular Fraud? Cellular fraud is defined as the unauthorized use, tampering, or manipulation of a cellular phone or service. At one time, cloning of cellular phones accounted for a large portion of fraud. As a result, the Wireless Telephone Protection Act of 1998 expanded the prior law to criminalize the use, possession, manufacture or sale of cloning hardware or software. What is Cloning Fraud? Every cellular phone has a unique telephone number (MIN) and electronic serial number (ESN). A cloned phone has been illegally reprogrammed to transmit the MIN/ESN of a legitimate cellular phone. Both the legitimate and the cloned phones are able to make calls. What should I do if I suspect unauthorized use of my cellular phone? If you suspect that your cellular phone telephone number (MIN) and electronic serial number (ESN) have been illegally duplicated, please contact Verizon Wireless Customer Service.