Scam guide · Lost phone
Phone stolen or lost in India: what to do in the first hour
By Aman Gupta, 12+ years in cyber security · Updated 7 October 2026
The short answer
Within the first hour: try to locate and lock the phone (Google Find My Device, or SecureOne's Find my phone if it was set up), ask your mobile operator to block the SIM, ask your bank to block UPI and mobile banking, change your email password from another device, file a police complaint, and then block the phone's IMEI on the government's Sanchar Saathi (CEIR) portal.
In the first 15 minutes
- Try to locate and lock it. From another phone or computer, use Google Find My Device (google.com/android/find) with your Google account. If SecureOne was set up on the phone, its Find my phone page can locate, ring or lock it too.
- Block the SIM. Call your operator's customer care from another number. This stops OTPs reaching the thief. Ask for a replacement SIM on the same number.
- Block UPI and mobile banking. Call each bank's customer care and ask them to block UPI and mobile banking on that number for now.
In the first hour
- Change your email password from another device, and sign the lost phone out (Google account → Security → Your devices).
- File a police complaint and keep the complaint number. Many states let you file a lost-phone report online.
- Block the IMEI on Sanchar Saathi. On sancharsaathi.gov.in, use the CEIR "Block your lost/stolen mobile" service with the police complaint number and the phone's IMEI (on the box or the bill). A blocked phone cannot be used on Indian networks, and you can unblock it if it is found.
Do this today, before anything happens
- Write down your IMEI (dial
*#06#) and keep it outside the phone. - Make sure you can read your email without this phone. Many people find that their email's two-step prompt goes only to the phone that was stolen.
- Set up a way back in: backup codes for your Google account, and if you use SecureOne, its recovery codes and a backup email address.
Where SecureOne helps, and where it can't
SecureOne's Find my phone works from its website: locate, ring or lock a signed-in phone, including after the SIM is removed if the phone has internet. Recovery codes and backup emails let you sign in even when the phone that receives your email is the one that was stolen, but they must be set up before. The Google Play version cannot take commands by SMS, so the phone needs internet for these to reach it.
Get SecureOne for Android · See every feature and its limits
Quick answers
How do I block a stolen phone in India?
File a police complaint, then use the CEIR service on sancharsaathi.gov.in with the complaint number and the phone's IMEI. The phone is then blocked on Indian networks, and you can unblock it if it is recovered.
How can I find my IMEI number if my phone is stolen?
It is printed on the phone's box and on the purchase bill. If you have Google Find My Device, the IMEI is also shown there for your account's devices.
Should I block my SIM first or my bank?
Do both within minutes. Blocking the SIM stops OTPs reaching the thief; blocking UPI and mobile banking stops payments from apps already signed in.
Lost money to a scam? Call 1930 (National Cyber Crime Helpline) and report at cybercrime.gov.in as soon as you can.