I was confused when the author referred to "crooks," but the context implied he was not speaking of phone companies. What if phone companies simply responded t

I was confused when the author referred to "crooks," but the context implied he was not speaking of phone companies. What if phone companies simply responded to requests to port numbers by calling and texting the phone number and requesting permission? If permission is denied, have the police check on both sides if the argument on who should have that phone number.