Mobile phone thefts are the order of the day and there are millions of thefts or losses which appear year after year. The smartphone is a popular destination due to its small size, easy theft, high price and the possibility of selling in whole or in part. At the very least, don’t lose the information it contains before it happens to you.

A significant number of workers are going to take a few days of summer vacation. And although we should be completely disconnected, we will definitely end up carrying a laptop, tablet and, of course, a smartphone. Holiday transit among crowds and user relaxation, greatly facilitates the theft of cell phones. And it’s an over-cost problem due to the loss of the type of hardware, which is usually not particularly cheap from the middle class upwards.

And we’re talking about information. Having third parties access to our professional, financial or personal information can be incalculable, in addition to leaving us “sold” if they gain access to our passwords and services. And not just mobile ones, because this type of device is usually used to secure the access of others, for example during double authentication.

How to protect yourself from robbery

In addition to the general measures we must take to prevent the loss of any electronic equipment and basic anti-theft measures, especially when traveling around airports, train stations, restaurants, hotels and in general public spaces full of people around whom we circulate, smartphones deserve special protection for the worst case scenario among others:

• Use the PIN code for the SIM card.
• Lock your screen with a strong password and biometric systems such as a fingerprint reader or face recognition.
• Use full disk encryption to protect your information.
• Keep backup copies of all data.
• Password protect critical applications.
• Activate the “Find my device” function.

How to protect yourself after

If you followed the instructions above, at least data protection management will be easier. use the function “Find my device on Android” o “Find Mine” on iOS to identify your phone as lost and display a message on your device screen with a friend or relative’s number so they can contact you if it is not stolen but lost and someone honest finds the device.

If you do not restore the device after a reasonable time (or as you deem necessary), delete all information on the device remotely and contact your ISP to block the terminal’s SIM card. Finally, you will need to purchase a new terminal and restore the data from the backup.

In addition, you should be vigilant, as thieves can use contact information to obtain even more important data, such as general access accounts, Google, or Apple IDs, through social engineering techniques.

Mobile phone theft: additional measures

If you are aware that this is a theft and you have not followed the previous preventive pauses in the sense of blocking the screen and the rest, you will need to act very quickly.

Lock SIM and IMEI. This is the first and main action that needs to be taken. Call your operator, explain the situation to him and block the SIM card so that he cannot use the terminal communication. In some countries, in addition to blocking the SIM card, you can add a stolen phone identification number (IMEI) to the list of blocked phone companies.

lock smartphone. From a secure device, as you will need to enter your Google password or Apple ID, block the terminal and consider deleting it remotely, even if it prevents you from locating it permanently.

Warn your family and friends. Alert your contacts to the situation and the possibility that they may receive calls or messages from someone who is impersonating you, asking for money or asking questions. He must completely ignore them.

Disconnect financial information. If you have credit / debit cards associated with the services you use on your mobile phone, you must disconnect them as soon as possible. This can be done from “Find My Device” on Android or iOS.

passwords. Theft of mobile phones without encryption and without prior protection means that third parties can obtain your passwords. You will need to change one of all the applications and services you use on your smartphones to avoid security breaches in the future.

Police report. You must file a complaint with the security forces. Not only because of the possibility to restore the mobile later, but also because of protection against any action that may have been taken with it.

And do not disappoint your vigilance … We deserve those holidays and it’s inevitable (and recommended) to relax, but not to the point of making it easier for robbers or neglecting the basic equipment in today’s world that we use for much more than typical voice calls, and losing them can make your vacation bitter. framework of the economic losses it entails.