A situation has happened with many of us in which either a mobile phone was stolen from us or from one of our friends. Unfortunately, this happens - petty thieves and scammers continue to hunt for gadgets in public places. There are several explanations for this.
Why are they stealing?
Of course, mobile phones are being stolen in order to sell. And from this we understand that, firstly, the prices for modern cell phones are quite high (on average, the device costs 10-15 thousand rubles, if it is not an iPhone, but also not the old “button” model). In the event that an expensive phone is stolen (the same iPhone), the price for a used gadget can reach up to 20-25 thousand.
Secondly, today a mobile phone has become so familiar in the everyday life of each of us that any passerby, in fact, has at least one mobile phone with him. In the capital and major cities, especially in the central part, you can meet people who carry two mobile phones. Imagine the temptation of thieves.
Protect yourself
Wherever you are and how many telephones you have, try to protect yourself as much as possible from such cases. Agree, even if you stole a cell phone, which is not of great value - the very fact of loss and loss of personal data is unpleasant. Perhaps someone stored valuable photos or correspondence on their smartphone, or something else that should not get to other people. The feeling that such information may be available to someone else is very unpleasant.
Therefore, when you are in public places, try to feel your device. For example, put it in an inside pocket or in the very depths of a bag, cover it with something. In an extreme case, if you have nowhere to put your mobile phone in, carry it in your hand, the chances that you will be taken away from it less than the likelihood that it will be pulled out "quietly."
However, we understand that it is one thing to give well-known advice, and quite another to get into a difficult life situation, when in practice the phone was stolen. What to do in this case, read on.
Block device
First things first, you need to lock your device. This should be done as soon as possible, preferably immediately after the discovery of the loss. True, for this you need a secret 15-digit code, also known as IMEI. This number represents the identifier with which your device is marked. All mobile phones, without exception, have it, and finding it is very simple. You can look in the box that you received with the device, or you can also dial * 06 #. Advice for the future - put the phone number in a place where you can find it at any time. For example, in a wallet. If you are afraid that it will be pulled out along with your mobile, store the IMEI somewhere in the mailbox, which you always have access to.
Next, you need to contact the operator with the fact that your phone was stolen. What to do more specifically, we have already specified above - you should block the device, make it useless for the criminal. For this, you will need the IMEI code. Your mobile provider can send a blocking signal even when the phone is turned off.
Contact the police
Suppose that we managed to disable the device. Obviously, the second task is how to track the phone; find out where he is and from whom. Only law enforcement agencies can deal with this problem. This is where you need to go as soon as possible. The duty officer at the local police station must accept your loss statement, to which you must attach a receipt for paying for the phone in the store and a box with all the documents. Here is another argument for storing such things.
After receiving the report of the theft, the police must transfer the information to the special department "K", dealing with such matters. Experts from there make inquiries to the mobile operator and record where the phone is. The task force leaves for the address.
Search for the criminals
To the question of what to do if the phone was stolen, whether it can be found, we answered. Immediately contact the operator and the police. Theoretically, of course, it is possible to find; but whether they do it or not depends on a lot of circumstances.
It is clear that thieves are not fools and, most likely, will think of taking out a card right away so that the operator could not track them. In addition, if the attackers have some experience, they know how to track the phone. Accordingly, they will do everything to prevent this. Whether the police will be able to get ahead of them depends, inter alia, on how quickly you act.
Tracking Software
For some cell phones, the prices are quite high (for example, new flagship models like the Samsung Galaxy S6 or Apple iPhone 6 cost 40 thousand each). In this regard, people are resorting to alternative ways to protect smartphones. An option might be to install special tracking software.
The meaning of their work is that an application is installed on the device that is protected by a password from deletion. It communicates with an online server from which commands can be issued to it. For example, if a phone is stolen from a user, he can activate the front camera and get a picture from the device. The thief’s face will be visible on it. There are a lot of such stories on the network when the person who stole the phone continues to use it and does not suspect that the former owner has been watching him all this time through the black front camera. For attackers, such stories, of course, do not end in the best way.
The same options are available with geolocation (for example, determining the location of the device), showing an information message on the screen (something like “Return my phone for a fee”) and so on.
Apple iCloud Solution
In parallel with these applications, you can also mention the iCloud service, available on iOS devices. Its meaning is that each user of the iPhone and iPad will have their own account in the system. It will be possible to enter it using the Apple ID (login) and password. Among the iCloud functions there is the possibility to block a mobile phone or tablet, as well as enable its geolocation on the map ("Find my iPhone").
Experienced thieves, of course, know how to circumvent the action of this function, and how to hide from any service in a quality manner. However, if the newcomers stole the phone - what to do, you know. To find such using the above technologies is not difficult at all.
If all else fails
Of course, there are lots of methods aimed at finding a stolen mobile device. It all depends entirely on your situation - how quickly you reacted to the loss, how experienced and cunning thieves have come to you.
Even if nothing helped, and the phone could not be found - do not be discouraged. Sometimes the police will not be able to say what kind of person the phone was stolen.
What should an owner do in such a situation? Show your own ingenuity! A common practice is to search for mobile phones, tablets, computers and other equipment on bulletin boards. Fortunately, today Internet technologies are quite well developed. How will an attacker sell your gadget? Most likely - on the largest portals, such as Avito or Hand to Hand. Register there and look similar to your model. If some signs (scratches, dents on the case, etc.) coincide - make an appointment and check the IMEI numbers, ask for a box from the thing, and so on. Act - and, believe me, fortune can smile at you.