My phone was stolen: what do I do now?
Updated: August 2026 · By César Cerrudo
Your phone is not just a phone. It can contain:
- email;
- WhatsApp;
- photos;
- contacts;
- passwords;
- banking apps;
- social media;
- documents;
- recovery mechanisms for other accounts.
That's why, after a theft, the device is not necessarily the most valuable thing you lost. Your digital identity can be worth much more.
First: try to lock the device
From another device, use the official locate-and-protect tools available for your phone. If the situation calls for it, you can lock it or remotely erase its contents.
Don't risk your physical safety trying to personally recover a stolen device.
Second: protect your number
Contact your phone carrier and report the loss or theft. This is especially important because the phone can be used to receive SMS account-recovery codes.
Third: protect your email
Email is usually the master key to our digital life. If someone gets into your email, they can try to reset many other accounts.
From another safe device:
- review recent sign-ins;
- close unknown sessions;
- change the password if necessary;
- check the recovery methods.
Fourth: review your critical accounts
Priority:
- email;
- banks and financial services;
- Apple/Google;
- WhatsApp;
- social media;
- services holding sensitive information.
You don't need to change a hundred passwords right away. Start with the accounts that can recover all the others.
After the incident
When you get a new phone:
- use biometric lock and a PIN;
- turn on automatic updates;
- set up remote location;
- keep backups;
- avoid reusing passwords.
Imagine for a moment that your phone disappears today. What information could someone get if they managed to unlock it? Answering that question before the incident can prevent a lot of problems afterwards.
The book's chapter on mobile devices covers phone protection, theft, spying and SIM swapping — free and jargon-free.
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César Cerrudo is a professional hacker and cybersecurity researcher with more than 25 years of experience. He helped secure technologies from Microsoft, Oracle, Twitter and IBM, and is the author of A Hacker's Security Guide, a free guide that helps people, families and organizations learn to protect themselves in the digital world.
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