“I once was lost, but now am found.” John Newton.
Losing your phone or laptop makes for a very bad day. Perhaps you just lost it. Perhaps it was stolen. It can happen to anyone. It can happen to you.
Every year, over 70 million smartphones are lost or stolen. Only 7% are recovered. Over two million laptops are stolen every year in the U.S. and less than 3% are recovered. The thief may just be looking to pawn the hardware for cash. The thief could also be a sophisticated scammer looking to hack your accounts and steal sensitive data. One in ten victims of laptop theft experience identity theft. Laptop theft accounts for 57% of all identity theft cases.
It’s also possible your lost device was found by a good Samaritan who is trying to return it to you.
What actions might you take to protect yourself if your phone or laptop is stolen? And what can you do to facilitate finding and recovering it?
- As previously discussed, protecting your devices with a strong password or PIN may prevent a thief from accessing your applications and data. Enabling full disk encryption is also a deterrent, particularly if you power down your laptop when not in use. Sound password management practices reduce your risk of account compromise. Freezing your credit report protects against financial fraud. Current backups will permit you to rebuild your system on a new device if the old device is never found.
- Store device identifiers as secure notes in your password manager. These include model and serial numbers for laptops, and model and device identifiers for phones (e.g.: SEID/EID). Manufacturers often print model and serial numbers on the exterior of a laptop (in very tiny letters). You can find iPhone identifiers under “Settings > General > About”. Android identifiers can be found under “Settings > System > About Phone,” although this may vary by manufacturer. You’ll need these identifiers for the next step.
- Report a suspected theft to the police. To file a report, you will need the device identifiers noted above. And you may need a police report to file an insurance claim.
- Report the theft to the device manufacturer. Some, but not all, manufacturers provide this service.
- Deauthorize your device on accounts that support this, and remotely log out of apps that might have been active when the device was stolen. Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook provide for this.
- If credit cards autofill from your browser, contact your bank and credit card companies. You may need to put a hold on or cancel the cards.
All the operating systems we are discussing in this blog provide a “Find my device” capability. If enabled, you can locate a device, and remotely lock or wipe it if you think it’s been stolen and can’t be recovered. Opinions vary on enabling this service. If you choose to do so, you are regularly sharing your location with operating system and device manufacturers: Microsoft, Apple or Google. Some view this as intrusive. On the other hand, if the service is not enabled, you have little chance of finding a lost or stolen device. If you choose to enable this capability, here are some brief instructions:
- Windows 10: From the Start menu, select “Settings > Update & Security > Find my device,” and then click Change.
- Windows 11: From the Start menu, select “Settings > Privacy & security > Find my device,” and click the toggle to enable it.
- macOS: Open “System Preferences > Apple ID” and select “iCloud” from the sidebar. Scroll down and check the box next to “Find My Mac.”
- iOS: Go to “Settings > [Your username] > Find My,” and select “Find My iPhone.”
Android: Open “Settings > Security & location” and enable “Find My Device.
With luck, what was lost may be found.
Information provided in this post is subject to the disclaimer in the first post of this series.