Risks, Realities & Protection of Phone Theft - Part 4: What to Do Immediately After a Theft

To close out our four-part series on phone theft, we’re looking at what to do immediately after a device is stolen.

Recommended steps

• Lost Mode from a clean device (don't wipe, wiping ends tracking)

• change platform account password and revoke all sessions

• freeze cards

• carrier for IMEI/SIM block plus replacement SIM to recover the number

• police report and crime reference

• then reset passwords starting with email and the password manager

• warn contacts

• notify IT if it's a work device.

One caveat

If you use IMEI blocking with your carrier, by reporting your device stolen, the device can often be used in other countries because it may not be enforced outside your country.

Key Takeaways

Phone theft is primarily driven by hardware resale value, but stolen devices can also expose accounts, wallets, MFA channels, corporate sessions, identity documents, contacts, and financial assets.

Mitigation measures should focus on enabling theft-protection settings, keeping recovery options outside the phone, knowing how to lock or track the device, and acting quickly to revoke access, freeze accounts, report the theft, and notify IT when applicable.

About the Contributor

A special thank you to Cliff Wilson for sharing his expertise and writing this four-part series on phone theft and security.

Cliff is an LSDS Strategic Partner, a Cybersecurity Enthusiast at Microsoft, and a Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert with Army Special Operations. Since 2012, Cliff’s experience as an IT and cybersecurity expert has allowed him to hold positions with Microsoft, the military, and nonprofit organizations as a security expert.