Due Diligence. If your cell phone goes missing

Divya Rajvanshi’s smart phone recently went missing at her workplace. She immediately panicked, as the smart phone held her mobile phone banking details and other sensitive information.

But shortly after the disappearance, Divya received a message on her email account with a photograph of the office peon, asking whether the person was authorised to use her phone. Unknown to the thief, the phone automatically snapped his picture when he tried to change the SIM card and mailed it to her.

For some, the cost of replacing a phone pales in comparison to the financial risk should the phone find its way into the hands of a hacker.

In this regard, taking some steps in advance can help safeguard your sensitive information, even though the chances of recovering your cell phone are often next to nil.

One of the first things you should do when you purchase a new mobile is to write down all information about the make, model number and serial numbers, besides the unique device identification number, known as IMEI. This information can help the police and mobile service provider track your phone in case it goes missing.

You should also establish a PIN or password to restrict access to your phone if it gets stolen or misplaced. With most modern phones where the battery cannot be taken out, this could give you the valuable time to locate the device before it is shut down.

The next step you should consider is installing anti-theft software on your phone. Some of these software, such as COMODO Anti-Theft, are free and include features to provide the location of your phone, lock your phone, wipe its memory clean, photograph the thief, issue an alert if the sim card is changed, or sound an alarm even if the volume is turned off. Some phones may have such features built in; ensure you inspect these thoroughly.

One more step you could take is to have your phone display your contact information on the phone’s lock screen, a feature available on some phones.

This is particularly handy if your phone has not been stolen, but just misplaced, in which case someone can get in touch with you.

Losing smart phones is the riskiest. But even in case your phone isn’t ‘smart’, minimising the amount of data you store is another great way to keep your financial information safe and secure.

In the worst case scenario where your phone is lost, the first step to take is to notify your mobile service provider and the police. In case the theft just occurred, you could also try triggering the alarm, which hopefully could scare the thief into discarding it.

One more important step is to immediately notify your bank so that your mobile banking service is deactivated till you replace your phone.

Keep an eye on your financial accounts in the aftermath of a loss as well, just in case. If the chances of recovering your phone are grim, “brick” it as a last resort, rendering it unusable. Some mobile applications allow you to do this, but you can also approach your mobile service provider to deactivate it using the IMEI number.

The odds are high that a large number of cell phone users have lost their devices at some point in time, or will in future.

According to a report by mobile security firm Lookout, 113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute in the US and, on an average, an individual misplaces his/her phone about once a year.

Juxtapose that data with the Indian scenario, where almost every member of the 1.1-billion-strong population has a mobile, and the rate of mobile theft is likely to be significantly higher!