911 Emergency My Phone Is Lost or Stolen - What's Your Plan of Action?

Do you have an emergency plan for your mobile phone?

Yesterday, one of the family’s Android cell phones went MIA. We knew that it had to of dropped somewhere out in the elements and either we just could not find it or someone had picked it up and taken it. 

My first reaction is “Oh crap!”, “This is going to cost me a couple hundred dollars for a new phone”, but as I sat a few more minutes, I had a second realization that I wish I would have thought months ahead of this crisis.

I thought “the Android Market, the Amazon Appstore, the LastPass plugin in the Dolphin HD browser, and other apps  are linked to my credit cards and have persistent login features on the phone so that someone would easily access the content in the Gmail account or in any site requiring LastPass authorization.”

Now losing this family member’s phone was becoming more like losing a wallet. If you have ever lost your wallet or purse for even a second, you may be able to identify the stomach wrenching anxiety that begins to overtake you.

Here are three things to think about because an incident like this will likely happen to you at some point:

First Think

You must think ahead about which apps have access to personal information, could charge credit cards instantly, and which apps would you prefer someone not be able to access even though they may not contain too much personal information. 

When you pinpoint these items, you should make a list for easy reference if the phone or device ever became lost or stolen.  Prioritize this list by putting the apps that will need an immediate password changes at the top. Triage the rest based on urgency.

Second Think

Another thing to think about is whether or not to invest in an app service that can remotely wipe your personal data (contacts, photos, videos, etc). Lookout comes to mind, and I did have the occasion to try them out.It went fairly smoothly, and Lookout Mobile Security did exactly what it promised.

It did cost some money, however.It’s a $2.99 monthly fee, but you can also use it as a one-time fee for one time of service. This is what I did. I paid, wiped the phone, and then canceled the subscription.

Third Think

The last thing to think about is whether or not you have a physical backup phone available. I try to save a spare phone from previous contract periods or (I’m currently with Virgin Mobile’s no contract plan) because I upgraded to a better phone.

Keep one lesser phone around if possible that you could switch out in to your main phone’s slot if your main phone becomes lost or stolen.Not only does this prevent a lapse in service for you, but it also take away the ability of a thief to use your phone to call China and Bangladesh at peak hours while roaming.

By activating your service on a new phone, you are also deactivating the service on the stolen phone. 

In Summary

In the end, taking the security of your digital data very seriously right now will really help ya’ll and your families become more secure in the future. Spend some time thinking about what exactly you would do if your phone went missing or became lost, have a plan – even put it on paper, and do not forget to prioritize in times of crisis.