That only puts you in danger, and a phone is never worth the risk.
These will detect if your personal information is being leaked online and monitor your credit, preventing identity theft.
My steps are also written under the assumption that you werent physically robbed.
Take the first 2 steps, but instead of proceeding to step 3, contact local police.
Once youve explained the situation to them, you’re able to circle back to step 3.
After taking that deep breath, of course.
Step 1.
Dont Panic
The first thing you’re gonna wanna do is stay calm.
Remember the wise words of the ancient Stoics: Dont panic over a stolen phone.
Good luck fact-checking that quote without your phone.
Step 2.
Remotely Lock Your Phone
Once youve taken a deep breath, its time to lock your phone.
Both Android and iPhone come with built-in methods to remotely lock your phone behind your password or PIN.
Android users will also be logged out of their Google account.
Dont go anywhere yet!
You should stay on the Find My gadget site to completestep 3.
Step 3.
Locate Your Phone
The next thing you should do is figure out where your phone is.
Luckily, you could do this from the exact same website you used in step 2.
If it was stolen, things are a bit trickier.
For one, its possible that your remote location feature has been deactivated by the thief.
If youre having trouble finding its location, dont worry about it too much and move on tostep 4.
If you see that someone currently has it, dont attempt to retrieve it yourself.
Contacting the authorities is part of my guide and well get there soon enough.
A clever thief may have thought of this and disabled it within minutes of taking it.
As with Android, this feature can be turned off by whoever stole your phone.
Thats why this is one of the early steps its important to act quickly.
Step 4.
Take a moment to think about how you use your phone to pay for things.
Do this for every app and site you use to pay for things on your phone.
Depending on your financial institution, you may be able to cancel or freeze cards through the banks website.
If not, youll have to make a phone call.
Note that many banks will give you the option to temporarily freeze your cards rather than cancel them entirely.
If possible, freezing your cards will be more convenient.
If you have a cryptocurrency app, follow the necessary process there too.
Heres the tricky part.
Googles two-factor authentication (2FA) may require you to press a prompt on your phone.
So it doesnt hurt to remove cards from your Apple account.
It all depends on what your pre-existing 2FA configs are.
Step 5.
It may be possible to remotely bounce of your email and other important accounts.
This is helpful, but I recommend just changing your passwords.
Its more secure and only takes slightly more effort if you usea top-notch password manager.
If you already use a password manager, go through your vault and find your most sensitive accounts.
You should be able to jump to the login page from within the password manager.
If you use something like1Password, your existing account name and password will automatically be filled in.
Again, your password manager will automatically be updated with the new password.
And youll have to memorize all your new passwords, which very few of us are capable of.
You may already use something like the password manager included with your surfing app or phone.
This is frankly dangerous.
Local storage is a huge hazard if the thief has technical knowledge.
Youre probably logged in to dozens (if not hundreds) of apps and sites on your phone.
This might seem overwhelming, so remember to focus on the most important accounts first.
As I said earlier, start with your email accounts.
Step 6.
Once your provider suspends your phone line, these texts wont come through.
Step 7.
Still, depending on your circumstances, you may be hesitant to do this.
Alternatively, for some people, this should be step 2.
Heres how to remotely factory reset your phone.
Ive provided instructions for both iOS and Android users.
Again, I dont recommend confronting the thief, even if you know where they are.
You are putting yourself at risk.
Dont encourage others to help you reclaim it either just let the authorities handle it.
Step 9.
Filing a claim promptly can help you recover the cost of the stolen phone or receive a replacement gadget.
Step 10.
Monitor Your Accounts
For the foreseeable future, monitor all of your accounts.
This includes your financial institutions, social media accounts, email, and anything else you manage.
Be on the lookout for unusual purchases, messages sent without your knowledge, or changed configs.
Good identity theft protection services likeNorton LifeLockmonitor your sensitive information for unauthorized transactions.
What Are The Dangers of Having Your Phone Stolen?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who stole my phone use my credit cards?
If you think your phone is stolen,follow my guideto ensure that youve covered all of your bases.
That way, you have the best chance of avoiding any potential financial harm the thief could cause.
Why does having my phone stolen affect friends and family?
This could lead tophishing attacks or impersonation scamstargeting your friends and family.
For example, whoever stole it could use your accounts to send messages asking for money or personal information.
Another common tactic is to send links to fraudulent websites.
Once youve confirmed your phone is stolen, let your friends and family know.
How does an antivirus help with a stolen phone?
Top antiviruses come with security tools that help protect you if your phone is stolen.
The identity monitoring tools offered by antiviruses like Norton and McAfee are also very helpful when monitoring your accounts.
Should I venture to find my stolen phone?
Yes, but NEVER confront a thief.
But there are times when you should make a run at find it.
Its totally reasonable to locate your phone remotely.
Theres even a good chance your phone wasnt nabbed and its just lost.
In these cases, Id encourage you to go grab it before someone else does.
