What should I do if my mobile phone is lost or stolen?

We’ve all been there - the stomach churn when you notice your phone isn’t in your pocket. The increased heart rate when you check your bag and it’s nowhere to be found. The magnificent relief when Alex from accounts returns it after you left it in the staff kitchen when sneaking a donut. Easily done. 

But what if, heaven forbid, your phone was really lost or stolen? What steps should you take? Here are our top tips:

Surprisingly, in a recent report* Protect Your Bubble found just 26% of people would remotely lock and wipe their phones using Find My iPhone or Find My Mobile if their phone was lost or stolen, leaving themselves wide open to cyber-crime. Risky business! 

Report it to your network provider

In the first instance, let your network provider know your phone is lost or stolen. They will be able to block your sim so that no one else can use it or make unauthorised calls. If you don’t let your network know, there’s a chance that someone could use your phone, run up a bill and you could be liable for the cost. If your mobile turns up again the network can usually unblock it. When reporting your phone as stolen to your network, request the IMEI number of the handset at the same time, as this will be useful for reporting the theft to the police.

Report it the the local police

With their high value and portability, mobile phones are prime targets for opportunist thieves. If you think your phone may have been stolen, it’s best to report it to the police station nearest to where the theft took place. Provide them with your mobile IMEI as this will help to identify your phone should it be found. Also, make sure to obtain your crime reference number for future updates and to pass onto your insurance company if you covered your device.

Change all your passwords

We heard that resounding groan! But with banking apps the norm and identity fraud an ever-growing threat, you can never be too careful. The thought of doing this is way worse than actually doing it, so play it safe and reset your passwords - particularly those for your social accounts, email and banking.

Our report also revealed that only 32% of people would change their social media, email and banking passwords after losing their device or having it stolen, again potentially exposing their valuable data to criminals. Living on the edge!

Preparation, preparation, preparation!

Advice about what to do after your phone is lost and stolen is all well and good, but the reality is, preparation is the key!

Make sure your remote access is set-up and make sure you’re fully versed with your tracking app. Note down your handset IMEI for ease when reporting theft or go one step better and register your mobile phone with Immobilise (a free possessions-register used by the UK police force to return stolen items to owners) in advance.

And of course, for true peace of mind, consider Protect Your Bubble mobile phone insurance. We can cover you for theft as standard and loss as an optional extra**