Losing your phone or having it stolen while traveling is one of the most stressful situations out there — a modern phone carries your banking app, boarding passes, insurance documents and login codes all at once. Speed matters. This guide walks through exactly what to do, from the first few minutes to filing an insurance claim.
🚨 The first 10 minutes
- On any other phone or computer, go straight to icloud.com/find (iPhone) or android.com/find (Android) and lock the device remotely
- If locking fails, activating 'Erase Device' from Find My / Find My Device protects your data
- Call your carrier back home (Magti, Silknet, Beeline) and ask to block the SIM — and do the same with your local eSIM provider if you had one active
- In your banking apps (mBank, TBC, BOG), log the device out remotely or freeze the card, following the lost card abroad guide
🔐 Remote lock and wipe
Both Apple's Find My and Google's Find My Device let you lock a phone from any browser, locate it if it's still online, or wipe all its data remotely. Activation Lock (or Factory Reset Protection) stays active even after a remote lock — it makes the phone essentially worthless to a thief, even for resale.
📞 Filing a police report — why you shouldn't skip it
A local police report is a required document for a travel insurance claim — almost every insurer asks for one. After giving your statement, you'll usually get a copy or a reference number on the spot — it's fine in English or the local language; you can have it translated once you're home.
💳 Bank cards and apps
- Apple Pay / Google Pay linked to the phone are disabled automatically once you lock the device remotely
- If your bank's two-factor authentication (2FA) only reached that phone, call the bank for an alternative verification method
- Full steps for freezing a card are in the lost card abroad guide
🛜 Staying connected — a backup plan
Print your eSIM QR code in advance, or save it somewhere you can reach without your phone (an email account accessible from a laptop, for instance). Packing an old spare phone in your bag or leaving one at the hotel isn't a bad idea either — it keeps you one contact channel ahead in an emergency.
🧾 Filing an insurance claim and next steps
Travel insurance policies often cover phone theft or loss, usually with a deductible and a cap on the payout. For a claim you'll need the police report, your original phone receipt or proof of the IMEI number, and the insurer's claim form — prepare or upload all of this before you travel, not after.
Write down or photograph your phone's IMEI number (Settings → About) somewhere separate — in your bag or in the cloud. You'll need it for both a remote block and an insurance claim.
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