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Life Guide U.S. essentials
English

When your phone is lost, follow this order: report the SIM card lost, lock the phone remotely, change passwords, call the police, freeze your bank cards

  • Top value
  • Evidence C
  • Saves money
  • Free
  • Takes minutes
  • No willpower

In plain words

The order matters more than speed. First report the SIM card lost, which cuts off the lifeline of verification codes. Next lock the phone remotely, then use a computer to change your email and payment passwords, then call the police and get a receipt, and finally freeze your bank cards if needed. If you don't have your phone, you can borrow someone else's to call the carrier's customer service and report the loss.

Cost

Free. The whole set takes a dozen or so minutes.

What you get

The order matters more than speed. Step 1: report the SIM card lost, so no one else receives your verification codes. Step 2: lock the phone remotely and wipe what is on it. Step 3: change your email and payment passwords from a computer. Step 4: call the police and get a receipt. Last, freeze your bank cards as needed. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission also advises locking the phone remotely even if you think you only misplaced it. If it was stolen, report it to the police right away, give the model and the IMEI number (the phone's identity number), and tell your carrier right away.

Notes

Write down the customer-service numbers of the 3 carriers ahead of time: China Mobile 10086, China Unicom 10010, China Telecom 10000. Also remember which city your phone number was registered in, because customer service will ask. Borrowing someone else's phone works just as well for calling to report the loss.

Evidence grade
C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.
Sources
  1. US FCC. Protect Your Smart Device. https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/protect-your-mobile-device
  2. 步骤顺序是作者经验
  3. 补办身份证见第 7 节，冒名贷款见第 8 节关于征信的一条

Mentioned in

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 14, tip 4. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer