What To Do When Your Phone Gets Stolen

Strike 1: My wallet got stolen.

Strike 2: My phone got snatched while I was riding the jeepney last week (Philcoa area, 5:00PM).

I was partly to blame since I was texting in transit, but it never came across my mind that someone would be interested in my crappy phone! Good thing I was never into techie stuff. Had I bought the latest iPhone or Samsung S-something, I would've cried buckets when this had happened. But since it was just a phone I used to text, call, and as alarm clock and calculator (haha), I just cursed once out of surprise and that was it. I was more sad about the SIM card I lost, since I had it since 2001.

But then, with this experience, I learned 3 (interesting) things worth sharing! Behold this "what to do when your phone gets stolen" kind of post. :D

Lesson #1: Even with a prepaid SIM, you can choose your desired mobile number (under Sun Cellular).

Right after the incident, I went to buy a new SIM. I spotted this at our friendly neighborhood kanto store. You can choose your 6-digit number, which I planned to name HELENB (435362) but failed since someone already used that combination. It's alright since that number was hard to memorize anyway. In the end, I was able to get my birthday number, and my friends thought I went postpaid. Nope, I got my birthday number for just P35.00! :D

Lesson #2: If you lose your prepaid SIM, you can still get the SAME cellphone number (under Globe). Yes, I was amazed, too.

I dropped by Globe in UP Technohub during my office lunch break and brought along my old SIM pack. (I love this branch since there's not much people so less waiting time compared to Trinoma or SM North!) After a short explanation on losing my phone and SIM, the Globe man borrowed my old SIM pack and valid ID to get some details.

I had to pay only P40.00, and after a few minutes, I got my activated new Globe SIM (with my old number - the one I had since 2001), and the remaining prepaid load still intact. My old SIM card which got stolen along with the phone was already inactive, without signal.

Lesson #3: If you have free time, you can have your stolen phone blocked FOREVER.

I got this phone for free from one of our business suppliers, so I think this one doesn't really cost much. If your expensive phone gets stolen, I think this step is worth going the extra mile for. Drop by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) office in Quezon City, bring 2 valid IDs and your phone's box with the IMEI No. intact. They will block your phone, and it will not be usable forever. Yey! Karma to the snatcher and whoever buys the stolen phone.

I feel sort of empowered knowing that you still have some form of control over your stolen phone. If you can't use it, then no one else can, too. Haha! I actually enjoyed doing this post, and I hope you learned a thing or two from my experience.

Love,

Helen