Surely someone close to you, or yourself, has suffered the loss or theft of your mobile phone. At that first moment, you have many doubts, such as what will happen to my data? Will someone be able to make calls or send messages and will I receive an invoice that I will not be able to pay? Will I be able to recover it?
For all these doubts that arise, we explain what are the steps you must follow in the event of having been a victim of theft or having lost your mobile phone.
Try to locate the device
Mobile operating systems have services to search for the device: « Find my device » on Android and « Find my iPhone » on Apple iOS. Use them to check if it has been lost or stolen.
If you think the phone might be nearby, turn on “play sound.” This option will make the device ring at full volume for 5 minutes to facilitate its location (even if it is silent or vibrating).
Lock the device
The search services of the device also allow blocking the terminal. Activate the device lock to protect the information it contains, and to indicate to anyone who finds it that it belongs to you and that it cannot be reactivated without your password.
To facilitate its return, it is also possible to add a message or a phone number to the lock screen. Be cautious with the messages you receive, they could take advantage to develop some type of associated fraud.
Clear device data
If you do not expect to recover the terminal, erase the data it contains remotely. It is another of the functionalities that you will find in the search services of the device.
This option deletes all data on the device, but may not delete the content of the SD cards.
Lock the SIM card
Ask your telephone operator to block the SIM card. In this way, we will prevent the card from being used from another device to make calls or consume data. But you must bear in mind that in that case the device’s location services may not work.
Report to the State Security Forces and Bodies
If you think it was a robbery, report it to the Police or the Civil Guard. To file a complaint, you must provide the phone’s unique identifier (IMEI), which you can find on a sticker with a barcode on the side of the phone’s packaging box. In this sense, it is recommended to be proactive and write down the IMEI as soon as you buy the device. The IMEI can also be obtained:
• Through the device’s «Settings» menu.
• By dialing the code * # 06 # on the phone.
• Visible on a label on the back of the phone.
• In the customer web area of your operator.
Keep the receipt of the complaint, it will be useful later, for example, if you want to claim insurance.
Lock the device by IMEI
Ask your telephone operator to lock the terminal to prevent it from being used with another SIM card. To do this, you must provide them with the unique identifier of the phone (IMEI) and the police report.
Now you know how to act when your device is lost or stolen and we hope it never happens to you. However, if you have ever had this bad experience, did you know how to act? What did you do? Leave us your comments.
