You’ve got tech trouble? We’ve got a solution. We recently received an email from Linda who lives in Hemet, CA. She wrote in about her concerns over phone theft and the potential ease with which someone could charge products using a lost or stolen phone’s apps. Here’s what she asked us:
If a phone is lost or stolen, can’t they just pull up the app and charge products easily?
Tips to prevent unauthorized charges on your lost or stolen phone
Use “Find My” to locate and secure your lost iPhone
How to locate your iPhone using another Apple device
On another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you can:
- Open the Find My app and tap the Devices tab to see your iPhone on a map
- You can also tap the name of your iPhone to see it on the map. Once you’ve located it, you can perform the following:
- Tap Play Sound to make it ring
- Tap Directions to get directions to its locations
- You can also get notifications when it is found by toggling on the button next to Notify When Found
- You can also Mark As Lost by tapping on the blue Activate button below the words Mark As Lost. Follow the onscreen instructions to Mark as Lost, keeping the following in mind:
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- Passcode: If your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch doesn’t have a passcode, you’re asked to create one now. For a Mac, you must create a numerical passcode, even if you already have a password set up on your Mac. This passcode is distinct from your password and is only used when you mark your device as lost.
- Contact information: For iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch, the contact information and message appear on the device’s Lock Screen. For AirPods or iPhone Wallet with MagSafe, the information appears when someone tries to connect with your device.
- When the device has been marked as lost, you see Activated below the Mark As Lost section. If the device isn’t connected to a network, when you mark it as lost, you see Pending until the device goes online again.
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If you are certain your phone is stolen or stolen and it seems unlikely you will be able to retrieve it, you can remotely erase all data on the device. You can do so by tapping Erase This Device. It will ask you to confirm by clicking Continue – Note: ALL content and settings will be erased when this iPhone connects to the internet. If Find My network is enabled, you will still be able to locate this iPhone.
MORE: HOW TO FIND YOUR LOST MACBOOK
How to locate your Android using another Android device
- On a browser, go to android.com/find
- Sign in to your Google Account.
- If you have more than one device: At the top of the sidebar, select the lost device.
- If your lost device has more than one user profile: Sign in with a Google Account that’s on the main or personal profile.
- The lost device gets a notification.
- On the map, you’ll get info about where the device is.
- The location is approximate and may not be accurate.
- If your device can’t be found, you may find its last known location, if available.
- If you get a prompt, tap Enable lock & erase.
- Select what you want to do:
- Play sound: Rings your device at full volume for 5 minutes, even if it’s set to silent or vibrate.
- Secure device: Locks your device with your PIN or password. If you don’t have a lock, you can set one. To help someone return your device to you, you can add a message or device number to the lock screen.
- Erase device: Permanently deletes all data on your device but may not delete SD cards. After you erase it, Find My Device won’t work on the device.
MORE: HOW TO FIND A LOST WINDOWS LAPTOP
Remove the device from any accounts you can
irst, try to find it through icloud.com. I would recommend you keep on looking before you contemplate erasing it, hoping there’s a good Samaritan who will respond to your Marking the device as lost as described above.
After a few hours, if you see the device moving and no one is responding to you, then that’s not a good sign, and it’s time to For your Apple account, follow these steps:
- Go to icloud.com and log in with your Apple ID
- Click the grid of 12 small dots in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
- Click on Find My iPhone
- Click on All Devices and select the device you want to remove
- Click on Erase (Device) and enter your Apple ID password
- When the device is erased, click Remove from Account
How to sign out of Android accounts
Contact your cell phone provider
MORE: HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ON AN APPLE IPHONE, IPAD AND MAC
Change important passwords
MORE: ARE YOUR PASSWORDS SAFE?
Enable two-factor authentication
Cancel any credit cards connected to the device
dispute any unauthorized charges.
Contact the police and file a report
Contact the police and file a report with the details of your phone and how it was lost or stolen.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Losing a phone can be a nightmare, but taking immediate action can mitigate the risks. Remember, “Find My” and remote erasure are your allies in securing your lost device. Don’t forget to change important passwords and enable two-factor authentication for added protection. And always report the incident to your cell phone provider, bank, and the police. Stay vigilant and take control of your phone’s security to prevent unauthorized charges and safeguard your personal information.
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