What to do if your phone is lost or stolen: practical steps to restore peace of mind

From remotely locking your phone to changing passwords, do this quickly to protect yourself and restore peace of mindSmartphones contain the entirety of our modern lives, from photos, messages and memories to credit cards, bank accounts and all life admin, so when one gets lost or stolen it can be far worse than the cost of the actual handset.Here’s what to do if the worst happens. Quickly taking these steps will help protect yourself against data theft, scams and fraud, and with luck could even lead to you being reunited with your phone.Try to locate your phone with Find My on Apple or Google, if you have it turned on. You can use a browser on a computer, tablet or even a friend’s phone.Remotely lock your phone using Find My and mark it as lost, which helps protect your data, blocks the use of Apple or Google Pay and can leave a message on the screen for anyone who finds it. You can also remotely erase your phone from here too.Contact your network provider and block your sim to stop thieves running up bills. Also ask it to check for any new “charge to bill” activity and to disable the feature.Contact your credit card company for any cards you have stored on your phone and disable Apple or Google Pay.Report the theft to the police on 101 and give them your phone’s IMEI number, which may be on the box, in your Apple or Google account or their Find My services.Contact your insurance company if you have phone cover.Change your passwords for important accounts. Start with your email account so that thieves can’t gain access to your other accounts through password resets.Remove your phone from your accounts and services, which will log it out and stop thieves accessing saved details. Continue reading...Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei TheGuardian Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei TheGuardian