Lost or stolen phone: what to do in the first hour

My phone was stolen from my table at a coffee shop about 20 minutes ago. It has my banking apps, my email and a payment card in the wallet app. I'm using a friend's laptop right now. What should I do first with a lost or stolen phone, and in what order?

Concerns & risks

Your phone was just stolen, and it holds banking apps, email and a mobile wallet card.

At a glance: set up now, before it happens
Prep	Why
Find-my-device on	Lets you lock and erase
IMEI noted	Carrier and police need it
Screen lock	Stops casual access
Backup on	Restores your data
Carrier PIN	Helps block SIM swaps

Google Pixel phones (Google official image), annotated: Secure your phone — Secure your phone. Image: Google (official source, cropped and annotated by ReportSpeed)

Overview diagram: Lost or stolen phone — Lock it remotely; Call your carrier; Change passwords; Report and erase — The whole fix at a glance: lock it remotely, call your carrier, change passwords, report and erase. Original diagram by ReportSpeed

Causes & evidence

The FCC advises that if your wireless device is lost or stolen, you should try to locate it, and if you can't, remotely lock it and, if needed, erase its data using the phone's find-my-device service. Report the loss to your wireless carrier so it can suspend service, which helps stop the thief from using your number to receive account codes; have your phone's IMEI or other identifying number ready if you can find it. Report a theft to the police and keep the report number. Change passwords for accounts you accessed from the phone, especially email, banking and payment apps, and contact your bank and card issuers. Mobile wallet cards are often tied to a device token, and issuers can suspend the device's access. Erasing the phone protects your data but generally stops you from locating it afterwards, so mark it lost first, then erase if recovery looks unlikely.

Edge cases: if the thief can see your lock screen, notifications could reveal codes, so hide notification previews in settings. If you used text-message codes for MFA, call your carrier quickly so the thief can't receive them on a new SIM. Check whether your phone insurance or card benefits cover theft.

Troubleshooting flowchart: try each step in order and stop when it is fixed — Lost or stolen phone — Work through it in order and stop when the problem is gone. Original diagram by ReportSpeed

Spending the first hour searching for the phone before locking it gives a thief time to get into accounts.

What to do

Step illustration: numbered steps for Lost or stolen phone — The steps from this answer as numbered cards. Original diagram by ReportSpeed

Comparison chart: Lost or stolen phone checklist (FCC) — Lost or stolen phone checklist (FCC). Original diagram by ReportSpeed

Lost or stolen phone checklist (FCC)
Action	Why
Locate and lock remotely	Stops access to your data
Erase if not recoverable	Protects stored information
Call your carrier	Suspends service and your number
Police report	Record for carrier, insurance and bank
Change passwords	Email, banking, payment apps
Call bank and card issuers	Suspend wallet cards, watch for fraud

Use your phone maker's find-my-device site to locate it and mark it lost or lock it.
Call your wireless carrier to report it and suspend service.
Change your email password first, then banking and payment app passwords.
Call your bank and card issuers to suspend wallet cards and watch for charges.
File a police report, then erase the phone remotely if recovery looks unlikely.

Common mistakes:

Searching for too long before locking
Not calling the carrier
Forgetting the wallet card
Erasing before trying to locate

ReportSpeedMan tip: Write your IMEI number and your carrier's support number somewhere safe now, before you ever need them. On most phones, dialing *#06# shows the IMEI.

What I would actually do

I'd mark the phone lost from the find-my site, call my carrier, change my email password and call my bank, all within the first hour, then file a police report.

The trade-off people miss: erasing the phone protects data but usually ends tracking, so lock it first. Erase once you're confident it isn't coming back.

How to tell it worked

The phone is locked, service is suspended and your passwords are changed.

Quick FAQ

Will police track my phone?
They may, but the report mainly helps with your carrier and insurer.

Can I keep my number?
Yes. Your carrier can move it to a new SIM.

Should I remove cards from my wallet app?
Your bank can suspend them remotely.

Wrap-up: Lock the phone remotely, suspend service with your carrier, change email and bank passwords, suspend wallet cards and file a police report. Erase it once recovery looks unlikely.

Wiki: Identity Theft Recovery Steps and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

Lost or stolen phone: read the originals

Step-by-step photos

1. Before The problem
2. Why it happens The cause
3. The fix The fix
4. After The result

⚡ Speed Summary

Lock the phone remotely, suspend service with your carrier, change email and bank passwords, suspend wallet cards and file a police report.
Write your IMEI number and your carrier's support number somewhere safe now, before you ever need them. On most phones, dialing *#06# shows the IMEI.
Spending the first hour searching for the phone before locking it gives a thief time to get into accounts.

Lost or stolen phone: what to do in the first hour

Concerns & risks

Causes & evidence