Mobile phones have become an intergral part of our lives, its become a multi feature must-have gadget for any individual. To serve the needs of the masses mobile phone
companies also ensures to release newer and more feature bundled mobile handsets.
Thousands subscribe to new mobile phone connections daily, with this mammoth mobile phone subscriber base a mammoth problem has also arisen - Mobile phone theft.
Now its time to be equiped and fight back this menace. How? heres how..
Precaution is the first step. Ensure you and your phone is prepared to handle the situation.
Step 1. Ensure you have your mobiles 17 or 15 digit unique IMEI number noted somewhere (keeping this note in your wallet is better). The IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) is a unique 17 or 15 digit code used to identify an individual mobile station to a GSM network. The IMEI can usually be found on the handset, beneath the battery, sometimes printed on a small white label. Another way to easily locate your IMEI phone is to dial the following sequence of numbers into the handset: *#06#.
Step 2. Install below mentioned free java
application on your mobile which would surely be very benificial.
mGuard/
Guardian and
TheftAlarm are my picks. Here's what they do..
mGuard is a anti-theft software that provides a way to send an SMS to another mobile phone whenever the SIM card gets changed. It operates silently in the background and it should be very hard to spot. Even if the thief spots the application the SMS has already been send out to the alternate mobile number. Hence you could contact the local police and they can track the new user through the service provider.
Another alternative for for Symbian S60 devices is
Guardian. Guardian will automatically switch to invisible mode when a SIM card is entered that is not authorized which makes it impossible to access the application. It also comes with a hard reset protection that protects the application when the user performs a hard reset which basically means a return to the default phone settings.
TheftAlarm is an application which alerts/sounds us when our mobile phone is being touched. This application would come handly as it blows an alarm and avoids the theft in the first place.
Step 3. Your alternative contact option. You sould change the start up screen of the mobile to display your alternate contact detail. In the even your mobile is stolen and the theif is aware about your phone security and needs to contact you then he can do so.. (well the chances are less although)
In the event your still mobile is stollen contact your local Police Station as soon as possible and try to file a FIR[First Information Report] with the complete
information of your cell phone handset, model, IMIE number, battery number if possible, lost mobile phone number, current contact details.
Reach your Telecom Service Providers office as soon as possible and file a complaint about the loss of your handset with a copy of your FIR and request them to cancel the current SIM card and try to reissue a new one with the Same number, because this way you can make sure that the new owner of your mobile phone does not make any calls from your mobile phone and also you dont expect huge post-paid mobile phone bills which you have not used.
Please post in your views on the above
