What to do if Your Cell Phone is Stolen

Any time a person falls victim to a crime the results can be devastating.   Even a seemingly small crime like the theft of a cell phone can leave the victim feeling violated and vulnerable.

If you are ever a victim of cell phone theft it is important that you know what to do to appropriately handle the situation.  As soon as it is discovered that your phone has gone missing or if you realize that it has been stolen, you should contact your cell phone provider or carrier immediately to report the situation.

The first question you may ask is “how am I supposed to contact my cell phone provider without my cell phone?”  If a family member or a friend is not around to allow you to use their phone, or if you do not have a landline in your home, then consider using the internet to log onto your carrier’s website for further instructions.

Often, your cell phone provider will have a section of their website for customer service or information on how to contact them.  Additionally, some carrier’s websites may even have ways to report stolen or lost phones online through their site without having to get in direct contact with a representative.

Whichever way you go about it, the first step is to contact your carrier and have the account frozen so that the criminal will not be able to use your device or any of its downloaded applications to do further harm.  After freezing the account, contact the police to report the crime and allow them to work with you and your cell phone provider to retrieve your lost or stolen phone.

photo credit: Johan Larsson via photopin cc