What to do if your mobile phone is lost or stolen

Summary

You should tell your network provider straight away if your phone is lost or stolen, so they can block it and stop anyone else using it. If you don’t tell them straight away you might have to pay for any unauthorised phone calls, which can be very expensive. If your phone’s been stolen, ask your network provider for the phone's identification number (IMEI) - you’ll need to give this to the police. If you find your phone your network provider will normally be able to reactivate it. You should report it to your local police station as soon as you can by calling 101 or going in person. Your network provider will give you your phone's identification number (IMEI), which you should pass on to the police. Make a note of the crime reference number - you’ll need it if you want to claim on insurance. If someone else runs up a big bill on your phone you’ll usually have to pay for the cost of the calls up until the time you reported the phone missing. Some phone networks will only charge you a maximum of £100 if your phone is lost or stolen, as long as you report it within 24 hours. This only applies for monthly contracts - if you have a pay-as-you go contract, you might not get a refund for.

Key information

• •buy a new phone and continue with your current contract
• •wait until your current contract ends and get a new contract that includes a free phone
• •You should tell your network provider straight away if your phone is lost or stolen, so they can block it and stop anyone else using it. If you don’t tell them straight away you might have to pay for any unauthorised phone calls, which can be very expensive.
• •If your phone’s been stolen, ask your network provider for the phone's identification number (IMEI) - you’ll need to give this to the police.
• •If you find your phone your network provider will normally be able to reactivate it.
• •You should report it to your local police station as soon as you can by calling 101 or going in person.
• •Your network provider will give you your phone's identification number (IMEI), which you should pass on to the police.
• •Make a note of the crime reference number - you’ll need it if you want to claim on insurance.
• •If someone else runs up a big bill on your phone you’ll usually have to pay for the cost of the calls up until the time you reported the phone missing.
• •Some phone networks will only charge you a maximum of £100 if your phone is lost or stolen, as long as you report it within 24 hours. This only applies for monthly contracts - if you have a pay-as-you go contract, you might not get a refund for any credit that’s used before you report the loss.
• •If your network charges you the full amount for the calls made before you reported it, you should ask if they can reduce the bill. Sometimes they’ll do this as a gesture of goodwill but they don’t have to.
• •If your network provider tries to charge you for calls made after you reported the phone missing, you should dispute the bill.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [What to do if your mobile phone is lost or stolen](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/what-to-do-if-your-mobile-phone-is-lost-or-stolen/)

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