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Alert24

Guide

Phone stolen while travelling

Losing your phone in another country is worse than losing it at home: your tickets, maps, bank apps and translator go with it. Work through this list in order. The first hour matters most.

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Updated 14 September 2026

First: locate and ring it from a friend's phone

You need a second device. Borrow a travel companion's phone, use a hotel computer or a laptop. Do these steps before anything else, because a thief will switch the phone off or reset it as soon as they can.

  1. 1

    Open Google's Find Hub

    Go to android.com/find and sign in with the Google account used on the stolen phone. If the phone is on and online you will see its location. You can play a sound, lock it with a message and contact number, or erase it. Erasing removes your data but also stops you tracking it, so use it last.

  2. 2

    If you use Alert24, open Remote Access

    Sign in at alert24.in with the same Google account, or open Alert24 on another phone with that account. If Remote Access was switched on before the theft you can ring the phone at full volume even on silent, see its last reported location, take a photo with the front camera and mark it as lost so it photographs whoever unlocks it. Remote Access is a Premium feature and the phone must be online to receive a command. Read more on the Remote Access feature page.

  3. 3

    Check whether it is really stolen

    Ring it first. Many 'stolen' phones are on a café chair, in a taxi or at the hotel reception. If the location on the map is your last stop, call the place before you report a theft.

  4. 4

    Lock what matters

    From the borrowed device, change your Google password at myaccount.google.com and sign the phone out of your account. Then do the same for your email, banking, payment and social apps. Contact your bank about cards saved in wallet apps.

  5. 5

    Write down what you know

    Time, place, what happened, what the phone looks like, its case, and its IMEI if you can find it (see the reporting guide). You will repeat this to the police, the carrier and the insurer.

Get a police report (needed for insurance)

Travel insurers almost always ask for a police report made in the country where the theft happened, often within a short time of the event. Go to the nearest police station, or use an online reporting service if the country offers one for tourists. Ask for a written copy or a reference number. Many countries provide reports in the local language only; ask whether an English version or an official translation is available, and keep the local copy either way.

Bring your passport or a copy, your travel documents, the phone's make, model, colour and IMEI, and any location or photo evidence from Find Hub or Alert24. Keep the story simple and factual. If your phone was pickpocketed rather than taken by force, say so; the report should describe what happened, not what you suspect.

If you find the phone later, keep the report anyway. Some insurers ask for it even for a recovered device that was damaged.

Accounts, eSIM and roaming SIM

A stolen phone with an active SIM can receive your verification codes. That is the real danger, more than the hardware. Contact your home carrier as soon as you can and ask them to block the SIM or eSIM. Most carriers can move your number to a new SIM or a new eSIM profile remotely, so you keep your number.

If you bought a local prepaid SIM for the trip, block that one too, or at least remove it from any accounts that use it for two-step codes.

Then get connected again. A cheap local phone or a travel companion's hotspot is enough to receive codes, talk to your bank and open your insurer's app. Set up a temporary email or messaging login on a borrowed device only if you can sign out afterwards.

  • Block the SIM or eSIM through your carrier's app, website or hotline
  • Turn on two-step verification with a backup method that is not the stolen phone
  • Remove the stolen phone from your Google, Apple, bank and messaging accounts
  • Tell people you are travelling with which number you can now be reached on

Passport gone too?

If your passport was in the same bag, contact your country's embassy or consulate in the country you are visiting. They can usually issue an emergency travel document so you can get home, and they will tell you what proof they need. The police report helps here as well, so get it first.

Keep a photo of your passport and a copy of your travel insurance policy somewhere that is not only on your phone: printed, in your luggage, or in a cloud account you can open from another device. It saves hours at the consulate.

Claiming on travel insurance

Every policy is different. Read the section on personal belongings and electronics before you send anything. Most insurers want the following.

  • The police report or reference number, made within the time limit stated in the policy
  • Proof you owned the phone: receipt, order confirmation, or the IMEI shown in your Google account
  • Proof of when and where the theft happened: your itinerary, hotel booking, transport tickets
  • Any location data or photos from Find Hub or Alert24, if the insurer asks for evidence of theft rather than loss
  • Confirmation that you reported the phone to your carrier and asked for the IMEI to be blocked, where that is required
  • A note of the excess (deductible) and the per-item limit, so you know what to expect back

Prevent it next trip

Most tourist phone theft is fast and quiet: a pocket on a crowded tram, a table in a square, a charger at the airport gate. A phone that makes noise the moment it moves is a much less attractive target.

Frequently asked questions

Can I track my phone if it is switched off?

Alert24 cannot. It needs the phone to be on and online to receive a command or report a location. Google's Find Hub network can show the last known location of some devices for a while after they are switched off, depending on the model. Check Google's help page for what your phone supports.

Should I erase the phone remotely?

Erase it if it holds data you cannot afford to expose and you have given up on getting it back. After an erase the phone no longer appears in Find Hub, so locate and ring first, and save any screenshots you may need for the police or insurer.

Do I need the police report in English?

Ask your insurer. Many accept a report in the local language with a simple translation; some require a certified one. Always keep the original.

Will the thief be able to use my phone?

With a screen lock set, not easily. Google's factory reset protection asks for your account password after a reset. Still, block the SIM quickly, because the SIM can be moved to another phone and used to receive your codes.

What does Alert24 add to Google's tools?

Alarms before the theft, and photos of whoever handles the phone. Google's Find Hub adds remote lock and erase, which Alert24 does not have. Use both. See the comparison.

Set it up before the next trip

Install Alert24, arm the pickpocket alarm on the way to the airport, and switch on Remote Access while you still have the phone in your hand.

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