In short
What should I do first if my phone is stolen?
Lock the phone remotely from another device, change the password of your main email and banking apps, and ask your mobile operator to block the SIM. Then report the theft with the phone's IMEI number. In some countries a government service blocks the handset itself: in Türkiye, the BTK's Kayıp/Çalıntı İhbar Bildirimi on e-Devlet; in France, the police request the block and the operator applies it within 4 working days; in Brazil, the Celular Seguro alert.
The first hour, everywhere
- 1Lock the phone remotely: Find My on iPhone, Find Hub (android.com/find) on Android. Wiping it is a last resort, because a locked phone can still show its location.
- 2From another device, change the password of your main email first, then your banking and social media, and sign the stolen phone out of your accounts.
- 3Ask your operator to block the SIM, so nobody receives your SMS codes, and get a replacement SIM with the same number.
- 4Report the theft to the police with the IMEI, the phone's 15-digit identifier (on the box, or dial *#06# while you still have the phone).
- 5Get WhatsApp back by registering your number on another phone with the new SIM: WhatsApp taken over.
Official steps by country
What differs from country to country. Each row comes from the official source linked under it.
| Country | Official step | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Türkiye | Report the IMEI on e-Devlet with the BTK's “Kayıp/Çalıntı İhbar Bildirimi” service; it's free. Once the report is approved, whoever uses the phone gets an SMS saying it's stolen, and the phone is cut off from communication. | Closing the line is a separate matter with your operator. The service needs a line registered in your name with the operator you choose.Source: static.turkiye.gov.tr |
| Germany | Have your operator block the SIM. If you can't find its number, the blocking hotline 116 116 (from abroad +49 30 4050 4050) helps. | Report the theft to the police; they need the 15-digit IMEI.Source: verbraucherzentrale.de |
| France | Suspend the line in your operator's customer area or through its emergency number, then file a complaint with the IMEI; for a theft by an unknown person, also online on Ma Sécurité. | The police send the request and the operator blocks the handset itself within 4 working days, automatically. Calls made before you suspend the line are billed to you.Source: service-public.gouv.frSource: arcep.fr |
| Spain | Ask your operator to block the SIM, report the theft to the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil with the IMEI, then ask the operator to block the handset by IMEI with the police report. | INCIBE's free 017 helpline gives advice, also by WhatsApp (900 116 117).Source: incibe.esSource: incibe.es |
| Italy | Keep the IMEI: Italy's data protection authority says it lets you block access to the phone remotely. The Carabinieri's report form asks for brand, model, IMEI, operator and number. | The form also asks whether you have already blocked the SIM, and when.Source: garanteprivacy.itSource: carabinieri.it |
| Netherlands | Lock the phone remotely, change your Apple ID or Google password and have your provider block the SIM. | If the DigiD app was on the phone, deactivate it in Mijn DigiD (“Deze DigiD app deactiveren”).Source: veiliginternetten.nlSource: digid.nl |
| Brazil | Issue an alert in the Ministry of Justice's Celular Seguro service: it notifies operators, banks and partners. “Bloqueio Total” blocks the IMEI; “Modo Recuperação” reports new lines put in the phone. | Some partner banks block access immediately, others within 30 minutes. File a police report (BO) as well.Source: gov.br |
If your country isn't listed
The pattern is the same: the operator blocks the SIM, and the police report records the IMEI. Ask your operator whether it can also block the handset by IMEI, and which document it needs for that.
What not to do
- Removing the iPhone from your Apple account right away: as long as it stays linked, Activation Lock stops a thief from wiping and reactivating it
- Going after the thief yourself when you locate the phone: tell the police
- Giving your Apple or Google password, or a code, to someone who writes that they found your phone
Frequently asked questions
Does blocking the SIM also block the phone?
No. In Türkiye and France, for example, the line and the handset are blocked separately: the operator closes the line, while the handset is blocked through the BTK service on e-Devlet or, in France, after the police report.
Where do I find the IMEI if the phone is gone?
On the phone's box. In France and Spain it's also in your operator's customer area. Note it down for your next phone and keep it somewhere other than the phone.
Someone took over my accounts from the stolen phone. Can you help?
Yes, with Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms, through their official processes only and without ever asking for passwords or codes. The first assessment is free: tell us what happened.
Official sources
The platforms' own help and policy pages. We are not affiliated with them.
- BTK: Kayıp/Çalıntı İhbar Bildirimi kullanım kılavuzu (e-Devlet) (in Turkish)static.turkiye.gov.tr
- Verbraucherzentrale: Handy verloren oder gestohlen – sperren lassen, Anzeige erstatten (in German)verbraucherzentrale.de
- Service-Public.gouv.fr : Vol d'un téléphone portable (in French)service-public.gouv.fr
- Arcep : Que faire en cas de vol de mon téléphone mobile ? (in French)arcep.fr
- INCIBE: ¿Cómo actuar si me han robado o he perdido el teléfono móvil? (in Spanish)incibe.es
- INCIBE: Pierdes o te roban el móvil durante un viaje (in Spanish)incibe.es
- Garante Privacy: Fatti smart (smartphone e tablet) (in Italian)garanteprivacy.it
- Carabinieri: modulo per la denuncia di smarrimento di telefono cellulare (in Italian)carabinieri.it
- Veilig Internetten: Mijn smartphone is gestolen, wat moet ik doen? (in Dutch)veiliginternetten.nl
- DigiD: Fraude of misbruik (in Dutch)digid.nl
- Ministério da Justiça: Levaram meu celular (Celular Seguro) (in Portuguese)gov.br