Having your phone stolen is stressful — but acting quickly can protect your personal data, prevent financial loss, and even help recover the device. Here is exactly what to do, in order.
Act immediately. The first 30 minutes after a phone is stolen are the most critical. Every minute counts for protecting your accounts and data.
Step-by-step: what to do right now
Try to locate it first
Use Find My (iPhone) or Find My Device (Android) from another device or computer. If it shows a location, share it with police — do not attempt to retrieve it yourself.
Lock the device remotely
Via Find My or Find My Device, put the phone in Lost Mode (iPhone) or lock it (Android). This prevents access even if the thief bypasses the screen lock.
Change your passwords immediately
From another device, change passwords for email, banking apps, social media, and anything with financial access. Do this before the thief can get into your accounts.
Contact your carrier
Call your carrier and report the phone stolen. Give them your IMEI number — they will block the device from connecting to their network and can suspend your SIM to prevent fraudulent calls.
File a police report
File a report and provide your IMEI number. Police can add it to national blacklists. You will also need this report for insurance claims.
Contact your bank
If you had banking apps or payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay) on the phone, alert your bank immediately. They can freeze cards and monitor for suspicious activity.
File an insurance claim
If you have phone insurance, contact the provider. You will need the police report number and your IMEI. Most claims must be filed within a set time window.
Remote wipe as a last resort
If you are certain the phone cannot be recovered and you have sensitive data on it, perform a remote wipe. This erases everything and makes recovery impossible — use it only when necessary.
Why your IMEI is so important here
Your IMEI is the key to blacklisting your stolen phone. Once reported to your carrier with the IMEI, they share it with a national and international blacklist database. Any carrier that checks this list will refuse to activate the device — making the stolen phone useless on any network in the country and often internationally too.
This is why you should always know your IMEI in advance. Write it down somewhere safe — your email, a note, the device box. You will not be able to retrieve it from the phone once it is gone.
How to find your IMEI right now
If you still have your phone, find your IMEI now and save it: dial *#06# or go to Settings → About Phone. Store it somewhere you can access without the device.
Verify your IMEI now
Check your IMEI is valid and save the details before you ever need them.
Free IMEI Check →