There is no doubt that we are all familiar with the frantic pocket patting dance when we can’t feel our phone. Or even worse, the sinking feeling when you remember that you’ve left your phone on the park bench you were sitting on and are certain it’s not there anymore.
These days everyone has become so reliant on technology, specifically mobile phones, and it’s not hard to understand why. Cell phones have made life incredibly easy with the ability to use it not just like a regular phone to be in contact with someone, but also to connect to your bank, an encyclopedia of absolutely everything with access to the internet, endless entertainment from games, social media, and news notifications popping up, to even taking over the job of a standard calculator. It’s convenience all compacted into one little rectangle.
Losing your phone can be a right pain and not a pleasant experience, not to mention the worry one might feel as someone can have access to all-important personal information from a cell phone.
Let’s go through the steps to follow should your phone get stolen.
Don’t panic it might just be misplaced
The very first call of action to take when you fear your phone has been stolen is to make sure that you have not just misplaced it. It’s a small device and can be easy to look over or misplace. There is no use in taking drastic measure just yet until you know for sure that it has been stolen.
Ask a friend or family member to give your phone a call and listen for the ring or vibrations of your phone. If it’s lost though, there is a chance that someone might pick up the ringing phone and at the very least, try and get it back to you.
Use a phone finder app
Phone finder apps are an invention of the gods. With new and improving technology coming out all the time it was no doubt the soon enough an app would be invented to allows someone to find the location of their phone without having to call for it. With apps such as Apple’s Find My Phone, Google’s Find My Device, and Samsung’s Find My Mobile, it has made finding your mobile device a walk in the park now.
It’s important to remember that none of these apps can be used without prior setup. Make sure that before you have the chance to misplace your phone or before it gets stolen, to set up the app with all the details it requires.
Lock your phone and erase
There is no guarantee that if you can’t find your phone, it has been stolen, but ones you have made 100% certain that it’s not coming back you can start to take drastic measures. Mobile phones contain most of the important information in a person’s life, from banking apps, google logins, contact lists, all the way to private emails. This can end in disaster if it lands in the wrong hands and this is so easily avoidable.
On the same previously mentioned apps that required pre-setup, you also have the ability to lock and erase your entire phone so that none of your personal information or anything on the phone can be accessed as it will be completely wiped. This can all be done remotely from any other mobile device that can connect to the apps’ websites.
Police
While going to the police might not be much help to you because of the fact that missing or stolen cell phones are not a high priority, it is still technically the right thing to do, and it does have some benefit.
Even though there is almost a 100% chance that your phone will not be recovered, when letting your insurance company know what the problem is, they will ask for a report number. Without this number, you will not be able to prove that the phone was stolen and there will be no insurance pay-out from their side. You may feel silly reporting such a minor thing to the police but it will definitely be worth it in the long run.
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