What should I do if my phone is lost or stolen?
Short answer
Use Find My (Apple) or Find My Device (Google) from another device to locate, lock or erase the phone, call your carrier to suspend the SIM, and change the passwords of key accounts, starting with email. Report the theft to the police if you need a reference for insurance.
The details
A device passcode and full-device encryption, which modern phones enable when a passcode is set, protect your data. A SIM PIN stops a thief from using your number to receive SMS codes.
What to do
- Locate, lock or erase the device remotely.
- Ask your carrier to block the SIM and the phone.
- Change your email and banking passwords.
- Remove the lost device from your account’s trusted devices.
Terms explained
- Encryption
- Encryption transforms readable data into ciphertext that can only be turned back into readable form with the correct key.
- SIM swapping
- SIM swapping is fraud where a criminal convinces or bribes a mobile carrier to move a victim’s phone number to a SIM the criminal controls, to receive their calls and SMS codes.
Sources
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