General Question

J0E's avatar

What actions should I take after my cell phone has been stolen?

Asked by J0E (13172points) January 3rd, 2010

First off, I’m not sure if I lost it or if someone stole it. Either way, I don’t have it. This has never happened to me so I’m not sure what to do. Has this ever happened to you? What did you do?

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18 Answers

Ivan's avatar

yikes I imagine you should call Verizon and tell them.

J0E's avatar

@Ivan I want to wait a few days, just in case I did lose it. That way they can call me from it.

The funny thing is, if they use it I will get all their voice mails because of Google Voice.

Ivan's avatar

On the bright side, this might give you an excuse to buy that new phone you’ve been talking about. :P

J0E's avatar

@Ivan it’s crossed my mind.

Ivan's avatar

Where did you lose it?

Ame_Evil's avatar

@J0E Maybe your unconscious misplaced it then in order for you to buy a new phone. See a hypnotherapist and he will help you find it.

(j0ke).

Tink's avatar

Make sure your hid your porn!

Are you afraid they will run up your bill if it is stolen? Do you have anything to hide? Did you register your phone on verizonwireless.com? Cause if you did you can see what numbers have been dialed since you last used it.

Jeruba's avatar

If you have your phone insured for replacement (which has certainly been worth paying for where my son was concerned), you can get a new phone at a Verizon store. The old one will be taken offline. But you will lose all the stored phone numbers and messages.

J0E's avatar

@Tink1113 Yeah, we have been watching that to see if they use it. There isn’t much they can do with the phone, so I’m not too worried.

I don’t like the idea of someone out there returning my calls…

Ivan's avatar

Have you called it to see if someone picks up?

J0E's avatar

@Ivan Several times.

skillcapes7's avatar

Report it! I never lost any of my cellphones. If you lost yours then it all depends on what kind of services you had on it. I always set a PinTail on my Google phone, and I create a pin number. If my cellphone ever goes missing, I just borrow someone else’s phone – send an SMS message to my Google G1 phone including my PinTail pin number, and my cellphone will send an SMS back to the phone I borrowed, giving me its location. Other than that, keep hope that you find it or kiss it goodbye.

Polly_Math's avatar

Report it immediately and hope you signed up for insurance.

CyanoticWasp's avatar

First of all, since you didn’t mention, and I didn’t see anyone else suggest it… call your cellphone number! See if someone answers, and ask them to send it to you; offer a reward. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s better than just crying over it, when someone may actually be willing and able to return the lost item.

@skillcapes7 had a great answer, if you have a phone with features like that. I sure don’t. Yet.

J0E's avatar

FYI: It’s a “dumb phone” with virtually no features.

Rarebear's avatar

It’s happened to me. Just call the company and cancel the number. You have a subscription already, so just go to Verizon or wherever and pick up another phone with the same number.

eLenaLicious's avatar

I suggest you call your phone carrier and notify them as soon as possible. You should cancel your number so that you will not be charged for anything while your phone is gone.

Pandora's avatar

Call your carrier and report it possible lost or stolen. If you have insurance they may give you another phone. You don’t have to change your number. You can keep the same one. You should have the serial number on your contract. They will stop all calls from your phone until you get the new phone and call to activate it. If you find it in the mean time you can call them back and return the new phone when it arrives.

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