What to do when your phone is lost or stolen abroad?

So, the other day I was walking back to my hostel in Bali through the winding streets, surrounded by ricefields, fancy restaurants and local people’s homes. I’ve never felt unsafe in Bali, not during the day, nor during the night, but this evening that changed. I just came back from a lovely dinner with my expat friend. She offered to drive me back, but since the walk was only 15 minutes I decided to walk. It was only 20.30 after all, and I like my evening walks. 

We said goodbye, I left her little alley, accompanied by the melodic sounds of the barking dogs, and turned onto the main road. Bali has many scooter taxi’s, always driving around and asking if you need a ride, also on this road. The road was mostly lit, except for a small part. I unlocked my phone, turned on the torchlight so I wouldn’t get hit by a car and messaged my dad, when a s scooter taxi approached me while mumbling something. I looked up to answer and say I didn’t need a ride, when he suddenly grabbed the unlocked phone from my hands and sped away. For a split second I had no idea what happened. Then I realised that something I never thought would happen, happened to me! My brain went into overdrive immediately, the panic, the fear they would steal all my information, the fact that my phone was unlocked, the fact that the first-ever expensive and good phone I bought was stolen withing 6 months, but mainly the loss of my connection to the outside world, the people I needed the most in this moment, and the loss of all my memories of the past few months. While writing about this I still feel anxiety coming up, even though it has been over 3 months since it happened. 

(If you don’t want to or don’t have time to read about my experiences, just skip the next part and go to the tips & tricks section). 

The emotional value of a phone

Phones are just items, replaceable things made from unsustainably sourced, earthdestroying materials. They are a factor of stress in the daily lifes of many people. They are, in my experience, the destroyer of good connections and living in the moment. 

But… they are also incredibly useful in this day and age. All of my information is in my phone. It’s my connection to the outside world, to new friends and to the global news. It’s my digital version of tickets and visa confirmations that I have to show at the airport. It’s my connection to my parents even when I’m far away, it’s my lifeline when I’m in trouble. And, when I travel, it’s contains my memories of times when I wasn’t in the moment, but my phone was. Nowadays I think it’s more terrible to lose your phone, then it is to lose your passport of wallet. The latter two can be replaced, the former can’t. 

So what did I do - step 1: Calm down and find the Police

First of all, I chased the scooter. No chance in hell of course, and no one helped unfortunately. So I ran back to my friend’s place. She had no idea what was going on, and I was in quite the panic. I’ve never really had a traumatic experience, but I was starting to realise this could be one. My heart was pounding in my chest, I couldn’t breath properly and pretty soon I started crying. It surprised me, because I’ve always been able to handle tough situations, especially when something happens to others, but this time it was different. 

Anyway, we realised we should try to find my phone as quickly as possible. An Android phone, so perhaps it could work through the sim card, or through Google Devices. We thought the police would know better what to do so after some discussion my friend decided to drive me to the police station. 

About that - it turned out we cannot just go to any random police station nearby, we had to go to the official police station of that area, which was about a 15-20 minute drive away. Not great to sit on the back of a scooter in choatic traffic when you feel dizzy, out of breath and scared. 

The Police Station on Bali

At the police station we were met, or rather not-met, by a police man sitting back in his chair. He showed no interest in the new, foreign looking people who entered his little office. After a couple of “Sir?”s and “Excuse me”s he finally looked up. Well, I can tell you, the police is not of much help. We had to tell them what to do, if they could please look for the phone through the sim card number, if I could log in to find my device, if they could do something with the phone’s IMEI number, if I could file a police report and so on. Luckily eventually a young guy from the IT department came and showed some interest and kindness (I was crying and trying to keep my act together). He explained that I had to come back with a translator, otherwise they wouldn’t file a police report, and that in the mean time there was nothing they could do for me. 

Step 2: Taking action myself

My friend offered that I could stay at her place, but I asked her to drop me off at my hostel because I had so many things to figure out, secure and check, and honestly I felt like I couldn’t keep my act together anymore. At the hostel I went to my room, got my tablet and tried to make a whatsapp call to my sister (luckily I installed Whatsapp on my tablet). I fell into tears and told her what happened - repeating all the events of the evening led to a panick attack of about 10 minutes where I couldn’t talk and was just shaking. All of the fear, anger and anxiety went through my body and mind. I was in a state of shock (I realised later) and luckily my friend and my sister were there for me. Why am I going into a bit of detail about this? Because I want you to know that if this ever happens to you, or if it just happened and hence you are reading this blog, this reaction is normal and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. 

Back to practical things. I had my Android tablet through which I could luckily access most of my accounts, but it soon became clear how incredibly annoying two-step verification is in the case of a stolen phone… I could access Whatsapp for the next two weeks, I could access my email, social media accounts and other apps, but I couldn’t access two of my banks because I needed my phone number. Well that’s great if you have to change your password asap!

I spent the next couple of hours, until about three in the morning, trying to calm down, changing passwords, contacting my banks and insurance company and logging out from my stolen device. My eyes were slowly becoming heavier and I fell into a deep, short sleep with the tablet in my hands. 

Step 3: Finally filing the police report on Bali

The next day my friend arranged for her driver to come with me to the police station. I had calmed down a bit, but was still overwhelmed by all the worries and the lack of contact with the people I wanted to have close to me. We went together, he translated everything, I had to answer some basic questions and that was it. No help, no advice, no action (like trying to find it through IMEI or whatever). Just a police report and the note that if I found the location of the phone myself, I could give them a call. To be honest, it was quite a disappointing. 

The questions they asked were things like: What happened? Where? What time and how much did the phone cost? 

I ended up spending the rest of the day with my friend and her visitor from the Netherlands. We went to a cat cafe, a shopping mall and had some lunch as a distraction from the whole situation, but to be honest, every time it was brought up I started to tear up. Eventually, with a bit of financial support from my dad, I bought a new phone, that day. Not a good one like I had before, but at least a functioning one that could get me back in touch with the outside world. Slowly some of the problems were being solved. 

In the evening I called my friend at home. Still quite upset, sad (mainly about all the pictures that I lost) and scared about the consequences. I also felt stupid, like it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have walked at night with my phone out in the open. These feelings bothered me for days, haunted me for weeks and actually still bother me as I write this, but slowly things got better with time and with more solutions. My friend asked me if I could get an esim from my Dutch sim provider. I responded annoyed and said of course not, that will never work! But after we hung up I actually realised that it was a great idea and I should check my options. Turned out it was almost as easy as 1,2,3 and A,B,C. I explained them my situation, that I couldn’t confirm with a bank account because I had no access to it and they helped me out (thank you Simyo!). The next day I had my phone number, as an esim and I could get the whole two-step verification process started. 

Over the next few days I left the country (which was a relieve), fixed the most important things and settled down in a place that I already knew. It gave me some time to focus on myself and I slowly felt better. It’s still a process, and I’ve definitely lost my trust in people. I was always quite trusting, never really felt unsafe (except for one time in Ecuador but that’s a different story) and enjoyed walking around during day time and night time - in places where I knew it was safe. This has definitely changed. The first week after it happened I called my friends in the evening if I was walking around by myself. I never held my phone in my hands while I was in the street. Whenever someone would start a conversation I would distrust them. And it’s still like that, my trust in people has diminished a bit and I’ve become more careful and anxious about my things. Hopefully it will get better over time, but at least I’ve learned a lot from the situation. Things that I would like to share with you so you can prepare for something similar, or deal with the situation more easily than I could. 

Start reading from here for tips & tricks

How to be prepared for losing your phone or your phone getting stolen?

You don’t want to think about something similar happening to you, but it’s good to do it anyway. Better to be prepared even thought it never happens, than to not be prepared and find yourself in a shitshow. 

Have a backup! 

You’ve probably heard this a 100 times already, but having a back up of things saves a lot of time and effort. And I don’t mean just a back up of photos. Because I only recently got a new phone, I had to move everything from my old device (which wasn’t charging anymore) to my new device. Because I was worried something would go wrong in the process, I used my tablet as a backup. 

1. I installed the most important apps (some government verification application, bank apps and whatsapp) on my tablet so I would still have access to them in case something went wrong. 
2. I had a secured online backup folder with my most important information (insurance company phone numbers, bank emergency phone numbers, passport picture, phone numbers of relatives). 
3. I paid for the smallest plan and created a backup on Google Drive with most of my pictures and another back up on a USB drive. 

Why this is helpful? When my phone was gone, I still had access to my main means of communication; Whatsapp. This was a great relieve, since I could contact my family and let them know what happened, and they could provide me with emotional support. But, more importantly, because I had installed the bank apps and government verification app I still had access to some things that I would otherwise not have had access to without my phone.

Always know whom to contact

You’re already reading this blog, great! The first step has been taken, but it’s not enough. When you travel, it’s good to know beforehand where you can find help. This can be a friend or acquaintance, or a friend/family member of someone you know. See if you have any connections in the country you’re travelling to and contact them beforehand to check if you can ask them for help if anything happens.

If you don’t know anyone, or don’t have any connections in the country you are visiting there are a couple of other options: 

1. Write down the number/email address of the embassy/consulate of your country somewhere. It can also be wise to notify the embassy or consulate of your visit to the country (especially in higher risk countries). 
2. Use Couchsurfing. It’s a paid app that connects people who offer a couch/room/tent/anything and people who would like to stay with local people. I’ve met amazing people through couchsurfing who’ve all been very helpful. I know that if I’d ever been in trouble, there would be several people on their who would help out a stranger. 
3. Find Facebook groups. There are several Facebook groups out there that connect expats/women/men/travellers/digital nomads etc. in which you can ask for help. One of my favorites is the Host a Sister Facebook group, in which most of the time when someone is in trouble, another woman will offer help. 
4. If none of this is helpful, don’t be shy to ask someone in your accommodation (a traveller or staff member) for help, or even a stranger in the street. I’m sure someone will help out, and it can even lead to new friendships (like when I had Dengue in India, my hostel manager helped me every day and became a good friend). 

Thinking about this beforehand will help you to be prepared. Knowing that you always have someone to rely on already brings some peace of mind. 

Have another device with you

It’s not a necessity, but having another (Android) device with you, can definitely help. You don’t have to look for an internet cafe or be reliant on someone else’s stuff, but you can immediately start doing things yourself. It doesn’t have to be a tablet or computer, it can just be a simple smartphone with some backup apps and phone numbers. 

Connect your devices

Usually, when you’re logged into Google, you can check the location of your device through Find My Device. On Iphones you can do something similar through the ICloud and with apps like “Find My”. Just make sure you’ve figured out how to track your device in case someone steals it or you lose it, before it happens. It can help to test these apps/websites and familiarise yourself with them. Another thing that could be useful is to write down your IMEI and serial number somewhere, since this can help you to track the phone. This number can be found in the phone, or sometimes also in the tracking apps/websites. 

Use biometric authentication or strong passwords

Nowadays you can make a stronger passcode/key for your phone by using more than four numbers. You can also use biometric authentication, which makes your phone less easy to access. 

Set-up immediate auto-locks

You can set your screenlock time to maximum 30 seconds, so that it will quickly lock if not in use. You can also turn on theft detection lock on certain phones through settings → Google → all services → theft protection. If you verify another phone number (yours, or someone else’s) you can use remote lock through Find My Device. 

Get good insurance if you have an expensive phone

It's quite straight forward, but if you have an expensive phone, make sure you also have good travel insurance in case it ever gets stolen... 

What to do after your phone is lost/stolen?

If you’re reading this because it happened to you, I’m really sorry. Even though you might try to rationalise it, losing a phone can be a big loss and it’s okay to feel stressed, sad and anxious about it. But you’re also taking the right step by doing something to fix the situation, which is great. So let me help you to get back on track. 

First of all, breath!

Yes, breath. It happened and it’s horrible. It’s important to know that it’s not your fault and it can happen to anyone. Maybe you’re dealing with it okay, maybe you are in shock, everyone reacts differently and it’s okay to feel what you feel. Just keep breathing and know that everything will be alright (and I speak from experience!). It really doesn’t help to blame yourself either, whatever happened happened and all you can do now is accept it and deal with it. 

Just keep breathing. 

Get help

Most likely this will have happened to you in the streets/outside. Whether you are in shock, disbelieve or anything else, try to get help. Find someone who speaks English in a restaurant, shop or on the street and ask them for help or go back to your hostel/hotel and get some help there. Locals most likely know what to do in this case, but otherwise the best place to ask for advice is the embassy/consulate (although in my case on Bali, they never replied to my email!). 

Then, if you can contact home, contact home. Talk to someone you know who can help you to calm down and let you know everything will be okay. They can also call your bank or phone company in case something is compromised. 

As soon as you can, try to track your phone

First of all you can call your phone and see if anyone picks up. If you simply lost it, someone might pick up and help you out. If it has been stolen, chances of someone answering are slim, but you never know. Then, if you have access to another device, start to track your phone before they can turn of the GPS or the phone entirely. See if you can trace it somehow and try to keep an eye on it. 

If you can, contact the police

If it’s possible, go straight to the police station and report your phone as stolen, and if you can, bring a friend who speaks the local language. It will make you feel a bit better knowing that you might get help (depending on the country you’re in) and they can start trying to trace your phone immediately. You will also have a police report to send to your insurance company, which will help you to get reimbursed quicker (if you have travel insurance). If you can’t go to the police straight away because it’s night time, you don’t have any means of transportation or any other reason, it’s okay. You can go the next day. The chances that your phone will ever be found are unfortunately slim anyway. 

Action, action, action 

After this, and if you’ve found another device you can use, it’s time to take action asap. So what to do? 

• Block your sim card and request a new one. If you can and if your device supports it, an ESim is the easiest and quickest option. 
• Lock and erase your phone through the tracking website/app (if you’re sure it’s stolen). 
• Go into your Google account and log out of your device (security → manage all devices). 
• Block/delete stored cards in your Google Pay, or Apple Pay app. 
• Check if you can log out of your device through other apps like bank apps, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, government identification apps. 
• If you can’t remotely log out of the bank apps, contact the bank. 
• Change passwords where you can. Even though they might not be able to access everything, it could be wise to change your passwords. Better safe then sorry. 
• Contact your travel insurance company, inform them, and ask them for advice/help. 
• Buy a new device. 

* This is not an extensive list, it’s always good to check other blogs/assess ]your own situation. 

Hopefully this blog was helpful. In my experience these were the most important things I had to do, and they required some time. It took me almost a week to get access to one of my banks (because my ESim didn’t receive text messages), but the other ones I got access to in a couple of days by using my sister’s phone number. Other things were fixed that night or the next morning. Except for the insurance money, which still hasn’t come…

Thank you for reading, and in case it happens to you, just take it step by step and everything will be fine. At least you’re prepared now :).