So this month, I’m going to talk about what to do if your mobile phone is stolen. If you’ve ever been the victim of mobile phone theft, lost your phone or even dropped it and lost all the data, you will know just how stressful this can be. In the UK, there are about 250,000 – 300,000 phones reported as stolen to the Police each year.
Call your Mobile Phone Company
If you are absolutely sure that your mobile phone has been stolen, make sure you call your mobile phone company as soon as you can. Clearly, you may need to wait until you get home or borrow someone’s phone to do this, but please do this as soon as possible. They will be able to block your SIM card and your phone. Also, protecting it with the latest fingerprint technology or a PIN will help make it more difficult for thieves to use and access the data on your mobile phone.
Make a note of your IMEI Number
All mobile phones have a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. This number can be used to block access to all networks, when you report your phone as stolen. To find out the IMEI number, type *#06# into your phone and a 14 to 18 digit number will be displayed. Keep this number somewhere safe and separate from your mobile phone itself.
Call your Insurance Company
Please check that you have mobile phone insurance as soon as you finish reading my blog post, otherwise you may forget about it. Check with your home insurer if their contents insurance comes with mobile phone cover. You may well find that your phone is not covered outside of your home. With the replacement cost for some newer mobile phones being significant, you will not want to be without insurance cover. Some banks offer special accounts that include mobile phone insurance. These are often well worth the monthly fee if your mobile phone is damaged or stolen.
Backup Your Mobile Phone
Many newer phones can be backed up to a PC, so that in the event of the phone being lost, the data can at least be recovered. Try to backup your phone data regularly, rather than leave it for months, otherwise more recent data will be lost.
We really hope that you’re not a victim of mobile phone crime, but if you are, taking action as quickly as possible, will hopefully reduce the impact. The National Mobile Phone Crime Unitwebsite, also has lots of advice on keeping your mobile phones safe, including details about Immobilise, which is the world’s largest free database to record details of possessions that you own.
Next month, we’ll be giving advice to young people on how to keep their mobile phones and other belongings safe, when they are out and about and particularly, when they are at events and music festivals. Until then, stay safe.
Author : Security Master
Added on : 2015-03-18