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Phone stolen, a couple of questions...


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Old 13-10-2016, 17:49
Markjuk
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Recently I had my phone stolen. I have followed advice to remotely lock and wipe the device, there has been no activity on the device (Google account) since it was stolen. Needless to say the SIM card has been deactivated by EE, so there is no way the tea leaf can use my contract to make calls or use data.

Have used both Google Android Device Manager and Samsung lost phone services.

However I have a couple of questions:

1) Is there any way to tell if your device has been successfully locked and wiped?
2) When you change passwords (for example for Google apps), will Apps that are installed on the phone still automatically open when you click on them, or will a password be prompted and required to be typed in to get back into them?
3) Is there any way of telling if the phone is still being used (even with another SIM card installed) by the IMEI number?
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Old 13-10-2016, 18:49
BKM
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You should get the IMEI "blacklisted" and then it cannot ever be used (in the UK) on ANY network....only the mobile operators can do this I believe.
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Old 13-10-2016, 19:21
Jack_Wilson2
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Unfortunately this doesn't stop the phone been sold and used abroad which will likely happen.
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Old 13-10-2016, 19:27
Markjuk
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You should get the IMEI "blacklisted" and then it cannot ever be used (in the UK) on ANY network....only the mobile operators can do this I believe.
Hi,

Yes the lady on the phone told me that the phone would be added to a register that meant if it was attempted to be sold in the UK (e.g Cash Converters or CeX) if would be flagged as stolen.

Would this mean the phone is IMEI "blacklisted" as you describe?
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Old 13-10-2016, 19:48
BKM
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Yes the lady on the phone told me that the phone would be added to a register that meant if it was attempted to be sold in the UK (e.g Cash Converters or CeX) if would be flagged as stolen.

Would this mean the phone is IMEI "blacklisted" as you describe?
Most probably! All the UK network operators share some form of database and, as handsets send their IMEI when they register, they can be denied access.
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Old 13-10-2016, 20:03
chrisjr
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1) Is there any way to tell if your device has been successfully locked and wiped?
The only sure way is to have the phone physically in your hand to check. You have to take it on trust that if the phone is switched on and connects to the network that it gets the command to zap itself.

I actually did this deliberately to my own phone once. It completely screwed up and I couldn't get it to work. The remote wipe option did actually work and let me rescue the phone. The difference here was that I did still have possession of it and could see it was connected to the phone network.

2) When you change passwords (for example for Google apps), will Apps that are installed on the phone still automatically open when you click on them, or will a password be prompted and required to be typed in to get back into them?
Depends entirely on the app. If it only needed a Google Play Store password to install then chances are it will work. It would only need a password if it needed to access your account, eg an e-mail app

3) Is there any way of telling if the phone is still being used (even with another SIM card installed) by the IMEI number?
The networks will almost certainly be able to tell. Whether they would tell you or not is another matter.
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Old 14-10-2016, 06:41
artnada
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If you buy a new [Android] phone, get CERBERUS. It costs a few dollars, and is the best thing since sliced bread in tracking.

I've been using it for a couple of years now. Amazing how much tracking you can do with it.

Here are some of its features.

REMOTE CONTROL

Remote control allows you to perform many operations on your lost or stolen device, like:
- Locate and track it
- Lock the device with a code
- Start a loud alarm, even if the device is set to silent mode
- Display a message that stays on the screen, and also make your device speak the message
- Take pictures, screenshots and even record videos, to identify the thief
- Get the location history, to see where the device has been in the past
- Wipe the internal memory and the SD card, to protect your personal data
- Hide Cerberus from the app drawer, so the app will be stealthy and a thief will not see the icon
- Record audio from the microphone
- Get a list of last calls sent and received
- Get information about cell phone network and WiFi network the device is connected to, and nearby WiFi networks
- Start a remote shell (SSH-like), to execute commands as if the device were connected to your computer with a USB cable
- And much more!

AUTOMATIC ALERTS

Cerberus can automatically perform actions when some conditions are met. For instance, it will send email/SMS alerts if the SIM card is changed (see the "SIM checker" section of the settings) and it will email you a photo of the thief when a wrong unlock code is entered (section "Automatic photo capture").
You can also set your own rules, see the "AutoTask" section! From there you can set geofencing (alerts when the phone exits or enters an area) and a lot of more automatic actions and alerts.

ADVANCED FEATURES

From within the app configuration, you can enable some options to make difficult for the thief to disable or uninstall Cerberus. Make sure to enable the "Device Administration" functionality and the "Protect device admin" option. Also you can block the Power Menu to prevent the thief from shutting down the device, and block access to the status bar in the lock screen, so nobody would be able to change the quick settings in Lollipop (Android 5.0) and later versions.

If you have rooted your device you can install Cerberus as a system application and get many additional features, including complete uninstall protection (Cerberus will survive a factory reset) and GPS auto-enabling when you start tracking the device. See the Help page on our website for more information on that.
The app works even if the device does not have an internet connection thanks to remote control by sms messages. Also, the SIM Checker feature allows you to know the new number to send texts to, if the SIM card is changed.

If you have an Android Wear smartwatch, make sure to check the "Wearable device" section of the app settings: you will find many useful and cool features.
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Old 14-10-2016, 08:33
Padre
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If you buy a new [Android] phone, get CERBERUS. It costs a few dollars, and is the best thing since sliced bread in tracking.

I've been using it for a couple of years now. Amazing how much tracking you can do with it.

Here are some of its features.
Cerberus is an handy app, but has 1 major flaw!

Installing Cerberus on a non rooted device means that if the phone is factory reset, i.e. through recovery and thus without actually having to boot the phone, it will be uninstalled and all the protection it offers will be gone. This makes it about as much use as a chocolate fireguard against theft for a non rooted device. Chances are that all but the most stupid of phone thief's will factory reset the phone at the earliest opportunity.

For a rooted phone where it is installed as a system app the opposite is true and in these cases is worth every penny and I would recommend it to anybody with a rooted phone.
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Old 14-10-2016, 10:50
artnada
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Cerberus is an handy app, but has 1 major flaw!

Installing Cerberus on a non rooted device means that if the phone is factory reset, i.e. through recovery and thus without actually having to boot the phone, it will be uninstalled and all the protection it offers will be gone. This makes it about as much use as a chocolate fireguard against theft for a non rooted device. Chances are that all but the most stupid of phone thief's will factory reset the phone at the earliest opportunity.

For a rooted phone where it is installed as a system app the opposite is true and in these cases is worth every penny and I would recommend it to anybody with a rooted phone.
Most thieves are stupid. They will nick it, sell it quick.

Also, if the phone is locked, the only way to reset is through a combination of button presses on boot up. MOST stupid thieves and most, if not all receivers would not even know there is an option to reset from a hidden boot menu.
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Old 14-10-2016, 11:36
Markjuk
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Thanks for the responses.

Although I know it is unlikely I will get the hone back my primary concern was them being able to access personal details. From what I understand a password of glyph protection is not foolproof but would slow them down.

I changed every single password for services including Google and Yahoo and the apps on my phone, I even check Google Android Device Manager to ensure they haven't been able to get into my account.

My question about apps was about if you change a password for an app, surely it must check with the relevant app server to see if the passwords match before allowing access. If the password on the phone doesn't match that on their server surely a password is prompted to access.

In this day an age it is a shame that there is not greater protection for lost phones, for example the ability to irreversibly brick a device, even if it has been factory reset.

If there were greater methods to render phones completely useless it would completely eliminate phone theft as the device would be worthless if stolen. There would be no way of getting it working again.
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