Can you call the police on someone who stole your phone?

Asked by: Leif Kertzmann  |  Last update: November 20, 2022
Score: 4.3/5 (52 votes)

If the device was stolen, immediately report the theft to the police, including the make and model, serial and IMEI or MEID or ESN number. Some service providers require proof that the device was stolen, and a police report would provide that documentation. Immediately report the theft or loss to your service provider.

What do I do if someone stole my phone?

The Worst Case: What To Do If Your Phone Has Been Stolen
  1. Lock your phone remotely.
  2. Change your main passwords, and enable 2FA.
  3. Report the theft to your provider.
  4. Cancel any credit cards that were linked to Apple or Google Pay.
  5. Warn friends and family about phishing scams.
  6. File a police report.
  7. Remotely erase your phone's data.

Will the police do anything about a stolen phone?

File a police report

If you believe your phone has been stolen, file a police report. Although law enforcement agencies don't have the resources to investigate every case of a stolen phone, if you're able to tell them where your phone is (using a finder app), they will be more likely to be able to help you recover it.

How long does it take for the police to track your phone?

GPS works by measuring the time it takes a radio signal to travel between one of the many satellites orbiting the earth and a cellphone. This time is used to determine the location of the phone, and it happens almost instantaneously.

Can police track your phone if it's off?

Can a Phone Be Tracked When Switched Off? The simple answer is YES. You can track a phone that is turned off. The police and network provider can track a switched-off phone using an IMEI number, while you can use other ways to locate your lost or stolen cell phone.

Phone Lost or Stolen? Here’s What to Do!

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Can I block my stolen phone?

Contact your carrier.

Your carrier will be able to disable the service for your phone line, preventing the person who stole your phone from using your phone to make calls and texts. Your carrier can also provide you with your phone's IMEI number, which you'll need in order to file a police report.

What if my phone is stolen and turned off?

An Android phone can be found through the Android Device Manager. To find your phone, simply go to the Find My Device site and log in using the Google account that is associated with your phone. If you have more than one phone, choose the lost phone in the menu at the top of the screen.

Can police track a stolen phone with IMEI number?

Yes, the police can track a stolen phone using either your phone number or the phone's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). Whether or not the police prioritize looking for your stolen phone is another matter.

What do thieves do with stolen phones?

Sell it for parts

In the most common scenario, the smartphone is simply sold for parts, especially if the thief found it locked. If the purpose was just to steal a phone, not to hurt you specifically, chances are the thief will not purposefully try to hack it.

What do police do with IMEI number?

1.1 Each mobile handset has a unique identification number known as an International Mobile Equipment Identity number or more commonly an IMEI. With the IMEI being unique to the individual handset it provides police opportunities to identify and recover stolen property.

How do police track phones?

How does police trace mobile phone? They use the IMEI number to trace lost mobiles.
...
An easy way to check your IMEI number is to dial *#06# in your dial-pad.
  1. white listed,
  2. grey listed and.
  3. black listed.

Can a stolen iPhone be used?

Even if your ‌iPhone‌ is fully erased, the person who has it can't use it. Activation Lock stays on and there is no way to bypass it. As soon as the ‌iPhone‌ boots up, it asks for an ‌Apple ID‌ and password and it won't go past the activation screen without the information.

Can you track iPhone if phone is off?

If you're using iCloud.com/find, you can't see your device's location if it's powered off, the battery has run out, or more than 24 hours has passed since its last location was sent to Apple. Learn how you can still protect your information.

How can I locate my phone if its off?

Sign in to Find My Device (URL: google.com/android/find) to access these services.
  1. Apps. Settings. Google. Google services. .
  2. To allow the device to be remotely located: Tap. Location. . ...
  3. Tap. Security. .
  4. Tap the following switches to turn on or off: Remotely locate this device. Allow remote lock and erase.

How do you lock a stolen iPhone?

Lost Mode lets you lock your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch so that others can't access your personal information.
...
Turn on Lost Mode or lock a device
  1. In Find My iPhone on iCloud.com, click All Devices, then select the device you want to put into Lost Mode or lock. ...
  2. Click Lost Mode or Lock.

How can I block my stolen phone with IMEI?

Fill out the request registration form for blocking the IMEI of lost/stolen phone, and attach the required documents. Click here to go to the form. After submitting the form, you will be given a Request ID. The same can be used for checking the status of your request and for unblocking the IMEI in future.

Can you disable a phone with IMEI number?

Blocking mobile using IMEI number

Step 1: Get your phone's IMEI number. Step 2: Now contact your network carrier. Step 3: Get over with the identification process and provide them with the IMEI number, asking to block the phone due to theft or loss. Step 4: Once done, your mobile phone will be blocked in few minutes.

What do thieves do with stolen iPhones?

They will try to wipe out the data including photos, videos, documents, audios, etc. from stolen iPhones for resale. Thieves know several techniques to erase everything from the stolen phone. Plus, thieves are also capable of tricking the buyer that stolen iPhone is clean and unlocked.

What happens when your iPhone is stolen and turned off?

If the phone is turned off and Lost Mode is enabled, you'll receive an alert when the phone is turned back on, including its current location. When you recover your phone, you'll need to enter your passcode, or the passcode you created when enabling Lost Mode.

How do you track iPhone if it is switched off?

Open the Find My app. Choose the Devices tab or the Items tab. Select your missing device or item, then choose Play Sound. If your device is offline, it won't play a sound until it connects to a network.

Do stolen iPhones get blocked?

An iPhone can become blacklisted for any number of reasons, including if the previous owner has unsettled bills or if someone reported it as stolen or lost. A blacklisted device cannot get connected to any wireless carrier unless it becomes un-blacklisted.

Can a lost iPhone be unlocked?

You can unlock a lost iPhone that is reported stolen by turning off Lost Mode: Method 1: Simply enter your passcode on the device. Method 2: Also go to iCloud.com and click Find my iPhone > Click All Devices and find the device that is in Lost Mode > Click Stop Lost Mode to unlock the iPhone that you found it.

How far back can police track text messages?

The police may obtain your opened and unopened messages that are 180 days old or older with a subpoena. But they have to let you know once they've requested this access from the provider. Law enforcement are allowed to access older, unread emails without telling you if they obtain a court order.

How do I know if I am being tracked?

How to Know If Someone Is Tracking Your Phone
  • Unknown Apps. Look out for applications that you didn't install. ...
  • Excessive Background Data Usage. Monitor the background data usage of your device. ...
  • Browser History Mismatch. Check your browser history for entries that you do not recognize. ...
  • Battery Drain. ...
  • Abnormal Reboot.

Can an Iphone be tapped by police?

Calls and messages carried by your cellular provider can be 'tapped' with a court order. They wouldn't be able to place any kind of direct tracking on your device where it embeds in your device, but a legal wiretap order may allow the monitoring of your communications and maybe even a device's location.