Cell phone lost or stolen on vacation: How to protect data remotely

The smartphone has now become an all-purpose weapon Cell phone lost and one that thieves can also use against you. To ensure that images, messages and documents are not phone or misused in the event of theft, you can take a few security precautions. In an emergency, cell phone data can also be deleted remotely.

Everyone is welcome to ask themselves this question from time to time: How bad would it be if your smartphone fell into the wrong hands? The value of the Cell phone lost is one thing, the amount of sensitive data on the device is another. Email inboxes, chat messages, photos: When criminals steal and unlock your cell phone, they gain valuable data that they can use to blackmail you. Or they go on a shopping spree using the mobile payment methods stored on their Cell phone lost. Losing a smartphone is a tricky thing these days. But fortunately there are ways to secure the data and make the device unusable for thieves, even from a distance.

No matter whether Android or iPhone: backups, i.e. backup copies of your cell phone, are now possible without any problems. They allow you to restore your data, including your pictures, messages and contacts, to your new smartphone if it is Cell phone lost. There are various third-party services for this. Google also offers its own cloud for its Android devices and Apple for iOS devices in which backups are stored. Both companies store data encrypted to protect it from unauthorized access by third parties. Users can decide in the settings which data should be stored there.

The most important questions and answers

• How can I back up my data in case my phone is lost or stolen?
• How do I check my backup settings on Android or iOS?
• Which data do I have to save manually via a backup?
• How can I protect my data if my smartphone is lost or stolen?
• My cell phone has disappeared – what do I do?
• My cell phone was (probably) stolen. Should I contact the police?

On Android:

1. Open Settings on your device and select “Google”.
2. There tap on “Backup” to go to the backup settings.
3. If the backup is not yet activated, you can do this by activating “Google One backup”.
4. Choose which data to back up and which not.
5. Finally, tap “Backup Now”. From now on, backups will be performed automatically when your device is connected via Wi-Fi and is not used and charged for at least two hours.

Bei iOS:

1. Open Settings on your device and select your name.
2. There tap “iCloud” and then “iCloud Backup” to get to the backup settings.
3. If you have not already done so, activate the “iCloud backup” option. From now on, backups will be carried out automatically when your device is connected via Wi-Fi, locked and connected to the power supply.
4. Go back to the iCloud settings tab and then click Show All to enable or disable the backup option for individual features and apps.

Which data do I have to save manually via a backup?

Under the cloud settings you can check which data is automatically backed up via the cloud. There you will notice that messenger chats, for example, do not appear. WhatsApp usually only stores messages on the device and not in a cloud. However, chats can be stored encrypted via the Google or Apple cloud. Telegram, on the other hand, always saves messages in its own cloud, but with a catch: the chats are only encrypted and protected from third parties on the server if the “secret chats” function is activated. Users always have to set this manually.

Some mobile games also require you to activate settings first so that you don’t lose your progress. Your score is usually automatically saved on a cloud when you create an account for the respective game. For the popular game “Candy Crush”, for example, you can also log in with your Facebook account so that your score is saved.

How can I protect my data if my smartphone is lost or stolen?

Your data can be restored through backups, but of course you also want to prevent thieves from having access to it. There is a lot you can do to prevent this. The most important is the screen lock, which can only be unlocked with a key such as a PIN or a lock pattern. Set up a six-digit code, preferably not simple combinations like 123456, 111111 or your date of birth. Criminals can crack such PINs very quickly.

If you use a blocking pattern as protection, you should make sure that the pattern is as original as possible. An M, Z or the first letter of your name is too unsafe, as thieves often simply try out such common options until you have access to the smartphone.

Other unlocking options include fingerprint, facial and iris scanners. This means your smartphone can only be unlocked with your fingerprint, face or eyes. However, these methods are prone to errors: If you injure the finger you used to set up the scan, unlocking may not work. And sometimes face scanners can be tricked with a photo of the person with the Cell phone lost. Some smartphones only allow these options if a PIN or lock pattern is set up.

You can also protect individual important apps such as messengers, email inboxes and banking apps with such procedures. This means thieves cannot access these apps even if they have unlocked the Cell phone lost. It is also important that the screen lock activates automatically after 30 seconds. You can set this up in your smartphone’s settings. Cell phones that only lock after 30 minutes of inactivity are significantly less secure. After all, thieves often don’t even have to overcome the hurdle of a PIN or a locking pattern.

My Cell phone lost has disappeared – what do I do?

First of all, you should make sure that you haven’t simply forgotten your Cell phone lost somewhere. Android and Apple each have a location function to find out: You can find this feature under “Find my device” via your Google account and under “Find my device” for Apple. You can use these functions to view the last location of your cell phone. Maybe you forgot it in the locker room at your sports club or in the office? However, if the location does not seem familiar to you or the cell phone cannot be found at the last location, it could be that it was stolen.

In this case, you should act as quickly as possible. First you should block the SIM card. There is a general blocking hotline for this, regardless of the provider: 116 116 in Germany and +49 30 4050 4050 abroad. This way you can at least prevent misuse of your phone number.

For these functions, however, the Cell phone lost must still be connected to the Internet. However, thieves often disconnect the device from the mobile network or WiFi so that you cannot continue using the function. Theoretically, criminals can still have access to your data – which is why a secure screen lock is so important.

When you trigger these functions, the data is deleted from your phone so that criminals can no longer do anything with it. However, your backups will still be available through your Google or Apple account. When you set up a new device, you can download the data via the cloud and access it again on your phone.

To stay on the safe side, you should also check the accounts you use on your mobile phone. Are you seeing any unusual logins from foreign IP addresses in your email account? Do orders under your name appear in online shops that you don’t recognize? And suddenly you no longer have access to your social media accounts? This could be an indication that criminals have already misused your Cell phone lost data.

My Cell phone lost was (probably) stolen. Should I contact the police?

In principle, the police can help you in the event of a theft. That’s why it makes sense to file a report – especially since some insurance companies require this step so that you pay money in the event of theft. So that the police can best help you, you will need some important documents and information, as the Federal Police informs.

This includes the mobile phone purchase contract, the product description and the IMEI number. You can find this number on the original packaging or on the Android phone under “About” in the settings and under “About phone” in the settings on iPhones. The device can be clearly identified using the IMEI number. To do this, you usually have to write down the number while you still have your Cell phone lost. However, for Android phones, you can view the IMEI number under Find My Device. To do this, you need to click on the gear icon in the app or the information icon in the web browser. The police will then try to locate your device using all the information.

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