How to protect your phone data?

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    Most likely, the phone you lost is a smartphone. Smartphones have the ability to sync data with online services such as Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Gmail, Google Drive, etc. Depending on your phone, there may be many such online services.

    How consult parentalcontrol247.com/ visit these accounts from your computer (desktop or laptop) and change your passwords immediately. If you have private photos stored in online accounts such as Google Drive or Google Photos, delete them without hesitation.

    Change your social account passwords immediately to prevent abuse.

    If such cloud storage accounts contain passwords and sensitive financial data, download them and delete these data. If the data is not stored in online storage accounts and is easily accessible directly from the phone's file manager, do the following immediately:

    • Call your bank or financial institution and let them know. Have a representative pick up your call to freeze your accounts and deactivate your card(s) immediately.
    • Let them know that any transaction that happened from the time you lost your phone to the time you call them, you are not the one who initiated the transaction. Ask a representative to reverse such transactions if possible.

    If you have the option to remotely wipe phone data that is already active, use it to delete all data on the phone and restore it to factory settings.

    Deactivate the SIM card:

    You can deactivate your SIM card after reporting the loss or theft to the police. You can do this before reporting to the police. There is always an advantage to waiting until the police respond to a complaint. You never know. The person who finds your phone (if you accidentally dropped it) might be a nice person, and he or she might try to contact someone on your contact list to notify you they have a phone. If the SIM card is not active, the person cannot do this.

    However, you cannot ignore another option. Your phone's finder can't be a good person. Also, someone stole your phone! If you think you've waited long enough, you can go ahead and deactivate the SIM.

    To disable your number, you must call your network provider and ask the representative to disable your SIM card. The representative will ask for a few details such as your Aadhar number (or any other identification number), your name, your address, etc. Once the representative confirms that you are the rightful owner of the mobile number, the representative will disable the SIM card.

    Before the representative does this, you can ask the representative to tell you the last phone call. If you didn't make the final call, the details you get from a representative could be handy for the police.

    Police Loss Reporting Method

    There are two options here, namely:

    • You report the theft.
    • You will report a lost or misplaced phone.

    The procedure for them is different. Let's look at the two processes separately.

    Method or theft reporting and filing FIR

    If you think someone has stolen your phone, it's important that you go ahead and file an FIR. The reason is simple. The person who stole your phone may misuse it for criminal activity. If you do not register FIR, you will be liable for such criminal activities that are associated with your phone and phone number. Do you want this kind of trouble?

    There are a number of specific steps that must be followed to file a FIR. Steps:

    • Visit the police station closest to where the phone was with you before you lost it. For example, if you live in Jadavpur in Kolkata but you lost your phone while you were in Kalighat, Kolkata, you must visit the Kalighat Police Station to report the theft and file an FIR.
    • Tell someone at the police station that you want to file an FIR and ask for the right person.
    • When you find the person reporting the FIR, tell them that someone stole your mobile phone and that you want to submit a FIR for mobile theft in CrPC section 154. Yes, mention the section.
    • Pass your phone details (model, IMEI number, color, manufacturer name, etc.).
    • If you can, provide information about the person you believe the phone was stolen from.
    • If there were witnesses, try to provide the details of those witnesses if possible (you most likely cannot give these details).
    • After the police submit the FIR, take a copy of the same. Don't forget to take a copy. A copy will help you keep track of your FIR status.

    Important things you should know:

    1. On February 5, 2014, all states of India and all union territories were advised by the Center that FIR registration for mobile theft is mandatory. Section 154 of the CCM clearly states the mandate.
    2. If the police officers refuse to register the FIR, you can write and send a letter to the superintendent of police (section CrPC 154(3)) or magistrate (section CrNX 156(3)). Police refusing to register an FIR for mobile theft is a crime.