My mobile is theft, can i trace my mobile instrument? how?

Question

I got same connection but how i found my instrument.

Answer 1

You lost your mobile. More than the gadget, you mourn for the invaluable collection of your contacts, the pricey downloaded mp3s and photos that you took and never bothered to upload.

At that moment, many feel anger at the theft or misplacing. They curse the world and its evil ways, gain sympathy from friends and are, for a few days, totally helpless.

While the executive user may count the number of months before she last synchronised the phone book with her laptop, the college student would probably grin at the prospect of getting the latest `cool' mobile on the shelf.

If you don't belong to the latter category, then read this as a guide that you could follow if you lost your mobile.

Go for an FIR

If your handset was stolen, or you thought you had a chance to get it back, then register an FIR (First Information Report) at the nearest police station (nearest to where you lost it/it was stolen).

An FIR is a written document prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognisable offence.

It sets the process of criminal justice in motion and is the first step to begin investigation.

While filing the FIR, the details required are: make and model of the mobile, phone number, description of where you lost it, and who you think could've stolen it.

The police, even in towns, are usually sympathetic and helpful, but will offer no guarantee that they can get your mobile back. "For them, the priority is different," is the understated explanation they offer.

Read the FIR while it is being filled out by the police, sign it and remember to take a copy of it for later use.

Many mobile theft victims have reported that the police officers coax them into reporting that the mobile was `misplaced' and not robbed. This would save them the actual hunt for the `suspect'.

You can also make a complaint to the State Human Rights Commission or the National Human Rights Commission if the police does nothing to enforce the law or does it in a biased and corrupt manner.

However, most citizens tend to sigh about the `system' and buy a new mobile instead of `dealing with bureaucracy'.

"It's like if you lost your spectacles. Would you bother going to the police and reporting it?" said one mobile user.

Deactivation of number

The next step, or probably the first that many could do, is to call your cellular operator's service centre, and inform them to deactivate your number.

This is to ensure that the crook or whoever picks up your phone will be unable to use it for their purpose.

In post-paid mobile connections, this is more common — the misuse could run up the mobile bill into thousands.

Sometimes, it may be better to inform the operator and ask them to check for any surge in phone activity before de-activating.

This is on the off-hand chance that an honest person would find your mobile and try to call any of your contacts. Usually such people call the person you called last and inform them that your mobile is in their possession.

Once your mobile number is deactivated, ensure that people whom you expect to call you at that number are informed of its loss. For reactivation, a fee of Rs 200 (or Rs 250, depending on your carrier) is charged.

It takes between 3-4 days to activate the new SIM card, since they want to confirm that you are actually the owner of the mobile phone that is reported lost.

So, they ensure that the details of birth date, address and all that match with that of the database, before they reactivate it.

Pre-paid users may prefer to get another number instead of reactivating the old one, but corporate and most white-collar workers would insist on retaining the same number due to the difficulty of informing their long list of contacts about the change.

Some also have an attachment to the number and may want to retain it.

For those, the service centre of their cellular operator will offer information on reactivation of the same number. Some request you to bring the FIR to authenticate your identity. But this process is also usually bypassed.

If you have registered your mobile at an Internet banking site, then you should inform the bank about the incident. They will disable your mobile banking facility immediately. You can always register the number again.

Tracking it down

Operators in India are not yet offering to detect where your mobile is located, for reasons primarily economic in nature. When approached, a popular operator said that they were not allowed by law to trace a mobile.

However, cyber law expert Na. Vijayashankar says "It is possible that some mobile service providers are wrongly interpreting privacy laws as requiring protection of IMEI numbers. Not using IMEI/IMSI tracking and blocking is against the concept of Due Diligence, as per ITA-2000."

Operators can track down a mobile if the IMEI number is known.

The GSM Association hosts a server containing all the IMEI numbers of GSM handsets sold, and divides them into the Black List and White List, the former being the ones the association has been informed of misuse or inactivity.

Countries can tap into this database and check with their existing database of call records if such Black listed handsets are in use in their circles.

The International Mobile Equipment Identity is a unique 15-digit number to your handset. CDMA phones have an 8-digit Electronic Serial Number.

The mobile is registered with the service provider's network at this number, and it can be traced every time you make a phone call from the handset.

Tracking the mobile can be done using information about the tower's location where it was last seen and zeroing in on the handset with its IMEI, which would give them a unique target. The operator can then block the mobile across its GSM network.

However, the ability to disable the handset if it uses another SIM card is not yet possible.

Australia and a few other European countries have enabled this blocking, by having a centralised database for the country, with all operators joining hands to fight mobile theft.

However, in a country as huge as India, a central database of all mobile IMEI numbers, called the equipment identity register, is near to impossible, say industry experts.

Some cellular operators offer the service for high-profile businessmen, NRIs and on police order (to track down terrorists and gangsters).

The layman, however, will have to wait a while before the service is offered to them. Australia and the UK offer this service for free.

the 'Hot spots'

On an average, about 150 mobile phone instruments are either stolen or snatched or lost in the Chennai Metropolitan Police area.

Were you aware that in any given year, 2 per cent of wireless phones are reported lost, stolen, or damaged?

According to a Spice employee, the operator receives around 500 police complaints a day in Bangalore alone.

According to Mumbai's Western and Central Railway police records, of the 669 complaints of mobile thefts registered last year, the highest incidences had taken place in suburban railway stations.

Other spots where mobile theft is common are cars, theatres, bus stands, homes and offices.

With people increasingly depending on mobiles as a lifeline, one simple precaution to ensure the thief does not access your critical data is to have password locks wherever possible.

Also, all buyers of second-hand mobiles should demand details of previous ownership.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Lost mobile can be traced by police department. If possible you file FIR and rest will be done by police department. But most of the case, police department will not take these issue seriously unless these exercise needs to solve any major case. Better you buy new mobile as there is no resources available online to trace mobile.

Answer 4

How To Catch Mobile Thief

Answer 5

If you have the imei number of your mobile then you can find your mobile on a condition that police or the service provider helps you or else you can block that mobile if you have your imei number. More than this you can do is Cry.

Answer 6

hey don't worry. There a way, if u have the purchasing box of ur cell phone , then check it out there a code named as "IMEI"
call your provider and give them your IMEI (international mobile equipment identification) number written on ur mobile box then they will trace ur mobile even if it contents some other sim card.

Answer 7

It is totally time waste.

Even police not giving support to find stolen phone. I had lost my cell but did not get any response from police. Police have authority to find out cell using IMEI number and they have system for IMEI tracing but tall police are totally worst. So never hope for help from police.

So purchase new one.

Answer 8

stolen?
You cannot trace if the Sim card has been changed by the thief.
From now onwards keep your mobile always in your pocket.

Answer 9

stop tracing ur old mobile b'cuz it is worthless only ur money will b wasted in place of tht buy a latest handset.

Answer 10

call your provider and give them your IMEI (international mobile equipment identification) number