Mobile Lost Emergency Steps: What should be done first if the mobile is lost so that the bank account and UPI remain safe? Which apps and accounts are most at risk after phone theft? What should be done in the first 10 minutes, so that mobile and personal data does not fall into the hands of anyone?
Phone Lost What to Do: Today everyone’s mobile phone contains bank accounts, personal photos, social media accounts and many other important things. In such a situation, if the phone is ever lost or stolen, then hands and feet swell. The biggest fear is not just about buying a new phone but about the fact that someone might access your bank account, UPI or personal data. People often panic and waste hours searching for their phones. If you do not take the right steps during this period, anyone can wipe out your bank account in the blink of an eye. In such a situation, after losing your phone, you should do 5 things immediately without wasting time.
Get your SIM card blocked immediately
As soon as the phone goes missing, the first thing to do is to call the customer care of your telecom operator (Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL). Ask them to get your SIM card blocked immediately. A thief may not be able to open the lock of your phone, but he can remove your SIM and put it in another phone. After this, he can withdraw all your money through the bank OTP (one-time password) received on your number. Once the SIM is blocked, the thief’s hands will be left empty.
Close Banking Apps and Internet Banking
Inform your bank immediately after blocking the SIM. You can immediately freeze or block your net banking, mobile banking app and UPI services by calling the helpline number of the bank. Apart from this, if you use apps like Google Pay, PhonePe or Paytm, then call their customer support and get your wallet and UPI ID blocked as well. With this, the thief will not be able to transfer even a single rupee from your account even if he wants to.
Blacklist phone on CEIR portal
The Government of India has a very wonderful portal, named CEIR (Central Equipment Identity Register). By visiting this government website you can get your lost phone blacklisted. This can make the phone a useless box forever. For this, go to the website and block your phone by entering its IMEI number. After this the thief will not be able to use it by inserting any new SIM card in it. The best part is that if the thief switches on that phone, the police will immediately get his location.
Delete data from Google or Apple account
If you have another phone or laptop, immediately log in to your Google Account (for Android users) or iCloud account (for iPhone users). There you will get the option of ‘Find My Device’ or ‘Find My’. Through this, you can delete (erase) all the personal data, photos and passwords of your lost phone forever while sitting at home. This will prevent your data from falling into wrong hands.
file a police report
The last and most important thing is to lodge a complaint with the police. Now you do not need to visit the police station for this, you can also file a complaint of ‘Lost Property’ online. Keep a copy of this complaint (FIR/NC) safely. In future, if any wrong or illegal work is done using your phone, this police report will save you from any legal trouble. Also, this report will also be useful for getting a new SIM card.