Lost Cell Phone? You Should Do This in Advance to Secure Your Cell Phone

The idea alone gets most people excited. Smartphones and tablets are the objects of desire among criminals. Over 200,000 smartphones are reported as stolen every year. According to Bitkom, one in ten Germans has already lost a cell phone. Anyone can be affected. Block the SIM, inform the police, locate the cell phone, protect and delete data - after the first shock, every victim should know what to do immediately. What is often forgotten: With backups, remote maintenance, and the number of blocking hotlines in mind, mobile phone users can prepare themselves well in advance if their mobile phone is lost or the smartphone is stolen.

Lost Cell Phone? Six Preventive Measures to Avoid This

·        Make a note of the most important data on your hardware immediately after purchasing the mobile device. Above all, this includes the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity Number, or IMEI number for short. - With it, the stolen cell phone can be precisely identified at any time. The IMEI no. is usually on the packaging or on the nameplate below the battery. Alternatively, you can find the IMEI no. by the key combination: * # 06 # out. You should also note the brand, type, color, and other specific characteristics of the device.

·        Set up a screen lock. In any case, you should protect the display of your device with a password immediately after purchase and define and activate an automatic lock after a certain period of inactivity. On Android, for example, this works via Settings> Sound and display> Lock screen. The corresponding path on iOS is: General> Automatic lock.

·        Make a note of the blocking hotline. How comforting it is when your cell phone is lost - but after losing your beloved smartphone, having the important number ready with which you can immediately block the SIM card via your cellular provider. In this way, after you "lose your mobile phone", you can prevent the new owner from making calls at your expense or from engaging in other fraudulent activities by accessing your data. For the emergency call, you need data such as the customer number or the personal customer password.

·        Regular backups to protect the data. Do you want to continue to access all application data and settings even after losing your device? Then you should back up your data regularly with backups via PC or mobile device. If you lose your mobile phone, you can restore all data on your newly purchased device. There are basically three different methods for backing up personal data on your device: additional PC programs, storage in the cloud, or backup apps. 

·        Set up the remote control and deletion. Anyone who relies on smart home or home entertainment is already familiar with remote maintenance. With applications for remote control of data, you can lock your device in the event of loss or theft, completely delete data on your smartphone, locate the device and even trigger an alarm tone. A smart strategy: set up a second device with which you can remotely delete data or lock your smartphone.

Android users can, for example, use the preinstalled Android device manager. Use it to locate the device - as the device is always linked to your own Google account. The screen lock can be activated remotely with the remote manager or all data on the device can be locked at the push of a button.

     Install antivirus with device locator feature to keep your data safe.

Also, you can control the entire operating system remotely with these free remote apps:

• AirDroid
• TeamViewer

However, the degree of control depends on the corresponding device-dependent root rights.