What You Should Do If Your Laptop or Phone Is Stolen

When your phone or laptop is stolen, you may feel helpless and frightened. We describe the best course of action and what you can do to prepare for these circumstances.

What Can You do if Your Phone or Laptop is Stolen?

Most of us have experienced the sinking feeling of realizing that we've lost our phones at some point in our lives. Thieves see mobile phones and the information they contain as a desirable commodity. For the same reasons, theft can be a significant setback for the owner, as these items have a wealth of private information with both monetary and sentimental worth.

Your mind will undoubtedly start racing when you notice you are disconnected from your gadget. What's its location? How long will it take for me to reclaim my possessions? Are its contents, such as images, videos, messages, and personal information, access to a thief? If you lose your phone, it's unlikely that you'll ever find it again. It is possible to increase your chances of finding your phone if you take the proper precautions before and after it is stolen.

Here are the steps you can take once you realize you have lost your phone

1- Ascertain that they are not just lost

A thief took your phone. Or maybe they didn't? Accidents happen despite your best efforts to keep your phone in the exact location, especially when rushing.

First, call it and see if you can hear it ringing or vibrating as you approach. You hope someone picks it up and starts a conversation with you. You can, for example, arrange to have it returned to you if a kind stranger finds it at a café.

When you call and get no response, what should you do? Google Find My Device, Apple Find My iPhone or Samsung Finder Mobile are excellent options for finding your phone.

For a map of your phone, go to the app's website from any web browser, log in, and follow the prompts. You must set up these apps before use.

To find your phone, if the app thinks it's close by, you can keep looking or return to the location and ask a service person.

Someone else has your phone if it is not in your possession or appears to be moving. Your chances of getting a return call are slim. However, thieves frequently turn off their phones as soon as they steal them to avoid being tracked by finding applications.

2- Report to the Police

If you suspect that your phone has been stolen, contact the police. Law enforcement agencies are more likely to assist you if you can locate your phone using a locator app, even though they have limited resources. Because it isn't a high-priority matter, it could take some time.

However, if you won't be able to get your phone back, an arrest can be beneficial in other ways. The national blocklisting of electronics that have been reported stolen or lost is a common practice in certain nations. Therefore, the phones won’t be able to connect to any national networks.

If thieves use your credit card because your phone was stolen, your bank might want a copy of the police report to reimburse you for your losses. Most insurance companies won't replace your phone if you don't have the police report number.

3- Remotely Lock or Erase your Phone

Before everything else, you should ensure that your phone’s data cannot be accessed by anyone who has it in their possession. You can accomplish this by remotely locking your phone. Depending on your os, the exact procedure will vary:

iOS

When you activate Find My iPhone on an iOS device, the Activation Lock is activated (which needs to have been enabled before the device was stolen). It disables unauthorized access to the device by anybody other than you and your Apple ID and password.

In addition to the standard Find My iPhone functionality, there is a Lost Mode option within the app. You can include a phone number in the message displayed on the gadget. On a Mac or PC, go to icloud.com/find  and login in with your https://www.icloud.com/#find and password to activate Lost Mode.

Android

You can use the Find My Device app to lock your Android device from afar. Use your Gmail account to sign in to Find My Phone from a web browser. Then, choose SECURE DEVICE to protect your account.

Then, you'll be asked to set a new password for the lock screen on your phone. If you think it's essential, you can wipe your device remotely in the same interface.

Windows Phone

Using the Find My Phone software on Windows, you may secure your device. Sign in to windowsphone.com utilizing any browser. Click on the Find My Phone option and then select Lock. Make sure you follow the instructions to lock your phone according to whether or not you've already set up a password for it. With this app, you can even remotely delete your device.

4- Change all Your Bank and Social Media Passwords

And even if you do get your phone back, you want to make sure no one else can use it. Most phones have PIN, password, or pattern protection, but even those can be cracked by clever software. Despite your best efforts, the thief may have had access to your phone for a short period.

The best way to avoid this is by changing passwords for any accounts linked to your phone, especially autosaved ones. The most crucial thing is to update your app store password so that nobody can make purchases. Also, change your password for your password manager immediately. Change your email and social media passwords. Your email address is critical when changing passwords or using two-factor authentication for other accounts. You should also change the password of your Google account since it usually record many of your passwords.

Change your passwords for your online banking (if you use an app) and other financial accounts, such as investing apps. Use apps to shop? Change the passwords there also. How about Netflix? Change your passwords if you automatically log into these sites.

5- Warn Your Friends and Relatives

A friend or family member should be your second call. Your phone was stolen, and you want to tell your friends and family to be on the lookout for phone calls or texts from your number that ask for money or information. Even if you only have a few familiar friends, you might want to request that they put out an alert on their social media accounts.

How to Protect Information in Your Laptop or Phone

According to the adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," and in this case, it has never been more true. When you lose your phone, these tips can help you keep your phone and its information safe.

• 1) Backup your Phone information- If you lose your phone and can't get it back, having your information backed up could be a lifesaver. There are many ways to keep your phone safe. You can upload your contacts, photos or files to the cloud. If your phone is stolen or lost and you don't have a copy of the information, you'll be glad you have a backup!

• 2) Use auto-Unlock with a Password - Most gadgets can be locked using a passcode or similar functions. Many people, however, fail to do so, exposing their numbers, text messages, emails, and social media accounts to anyone who picks up the phone.

• 3) Don’t save your Passwords on your Browsers- Password-protected websites require you to enter your password. A thief would have access to your phone's sensitive data simply by unlocking it. Even though entering your password repeatedly can be tedious, the extra effort you put in can help you protect your personal information from theft.

Conclusion

Thieves can get your information from your phone or laptop if they steal it. It is thus essential to follow the above-outlaid steps to protect your data. However, it is also possible that hackers may try to access your information remotely even without stealing your phone. It would be best to have a VPN to ensure that nobody can track you online or intercept your online interactions.

A virtual private network (VPN) replaces your actual IP address with a fictitious one, allowing you to remain anonymous while using public Wi-Fi networks. Because ransomware can’t find your data, it can’t extort money from you. Your mobile VPN security is a certainty if you choose the best and cheapest way to keep hackers at bay: using a virtual private network (VPN) service.

Choose Turbo VPN and stay safe online always.