Share This
Related Posts
Tags
Stolen Phone Solutions
By Anca Gagiuc on Dec 26, 2012 in Technology
Canceling credit cards and getting a new drivers license after an “old-fashioned” wallet is lost or stolen is no picnic. But what if you lost your wallet with $900 inside, plus your address book, your bank passwords, access to your email and social media accounts? That’s what it is like when you lose your smartphone or have it stolen. No wonder that these days travelers worry more about losing their phone than their wedding ring, according to a recent Intel survey.
Around 60 million smartphones and cellphones are lost, stolen or damaged each year, according to Asurion, an insurance cellphone provider. A replacement could cost you as much as $850 for the device alone if your loss is a top-of-the-line iPhone and you aren’t eligible for an upgrade in the near future.
While your phone is still in your possession, keep these in mind:
Password-protect it.
This is the easiest and most secure way to keep your device private. Don’t be too lazy to enter your password every time you need to access your phone; you will be sorry afterwards for not taking this measure.
Sign up for a “Find my Phone” service.
All new smartphones come with the “find my phone” app that tracks your device, regardless of the carrier or insurance. Check your phone for this app and activate it. Go as far as to install extra security apps – Prey (iOS, Android, Linux, OSX, Windows), Lookout (iOS, Android), etc.
iCloud: Erase your device remotely (for iOS and OS X devices)
The safest way to protect the data you have on your phone, from contacts to electronic banking software, is to revoke access to the device by remotely locking or wiping it. Make sure you’ve been using the iCloud Backup or had it synced with iTunes so that you can restore the information on the device once you find it or get a new one.
Know your passwords.
All your accounts will need to have the passwords changed, primarily the accounts that have access to your money, but also those for your email and social media accounts.
If you’re upgrading, keep your old phone.
Hold on to your old device, even though you have just purchased a new one. If you misplace the new one or have it stolen, that old iPhone or Blackberry will come in handy.
When the device is no longer in your possession, keep these in mind:
Use those “Find my Phone” services.
You’ve activated/installed them, now use them. If your device is shown to be in an unfamiliar place, contact the police rather than recovering it yourself.
Dropbox may not be the app you’d most associate with mobile security, but the online storage service has a hidden feature that could help you find a lost device.
- Log in to your Dropbox account
- Go to Settings
- Click on the Security tab
- In the list of devices that you have linked to your account, hover over “Most recent activity” to observe the last logged IP address. You can then plug that IP into websites like iplocation, what’s my ip address or ipligence which can provide an approximate location of your device. Pass this information to the police, do not try to recover the device on your own.
Contact your carrier and mobile phone insurance company.
They will offer to bar the service (outgoing calls, messages and internet) and to block the IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity) – this prevents another SIM card being used in your cellular device. This block applies to all carriers.
Assume the worst, and protect your personal data.
Regardless of the carrier you use, treat your phone as stolen, even if you think it’s only misplaced. If you have mobile banking, social media, email, and utility applications on your phone, change your usernames and/or passwords through another mobile device/computer. According to the FBI, a laptop is stolen every minute in the US. During the holiday season the number of crimes increases so be extra careful with your technology as you travel or enjoy time away from the office. We wish you a safe and happy year’s end!
