You’ve lost your cellphone. You tried calling it from another phone and can’t hear it.
If you’ve enabled the “Find My Phone” feature, your next step is to try that. If you’re worried about someone accessing all the info stored on your device, you can use the Find My Phone feature to remotely wipe the data.
As Consumer Reports points out, wiping the phone means you’ll lose any photos, videos, or songs stored locally on your phone. If they’re stored on another device or in the cloud, you can still access them.
If you don’t find your phone, CR advises reporting the loss to your wireless provider, so they suspend service to that phone.
Then head to your computer and change the passwords for any accounts you had on your phone. Start with the most important ones, such as email, financial, and shopping accounts. And don’t forget social media. These are the accounts an ID thief can use to do all sorts of mischief.
If you’re lucky enough to find the phone – maybe you left it at a restaurant or on a bus seat – consider wiping it. Consumer Reports says you never know if someone added a malicious app or software that could spy on you. Make sure your have copies of everything important before you do that.
More Info: 5 Steps to Protect Your Smartphone From Theft or Loss
