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While you may expect that the police would be able to simply track your phone after you report it stolen, this is not the case; they rely on you to provide technical information as well as tools to locate your stolen device. That being said, lets explore various ways how Kenyan police track a stolen phone in kenya.
So you are here probably because you wanna know how Kenyan police track a stolen phone in kenya.
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For the most part, phone theft is simply ignored by the Kenyan police. They have a lot of important stuff to do – like murders – and cell phone theft is a simple, non-violent property crime. So it doesn’t get much, if any, attention.
If you report your phone stolen to the police they will hand you a form to fill out. Nobody will come and talk to you. When you are done, you will probably get a copy of this report – and the original will be filed. That is all that is going to happen.
You can then take that police report and find out if your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance will cover the phone. Without the police report, the insurance company won’t talk to you.
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So how do Kenyan police track stolen phones?
It is important to report the theft to your carrier as soon as possible. This will prevent you from getting charged for whatever calls are made using your SIM card. Oh, you might think you are protected because you have a strong password on the phone. Except they just take the SIM card out and put it in a different phone. And you get the bills – at least until you talk to your customer service folks and explain it to them. You can cut this short by just reporting your phone as stolen when it is.
How do police track stolen phones in kenya
The police can only track a lost phone if you present them the IME Code of the phone. This why its always important to backup your data to email servers.
An easy way to check your IMEI number is to dial *#06# in your dial-pad. ·
Also its also important to note that for Kenyan police track a stolen phone in kenya, it should be switched on. Otherwise the tracking cannot be done when the phone is offline.
How you can help the Police recover your stolen smartphone (& stop the thieves from using it)
a) Make a record of your IMEI number
The first thing you should do with your new phone is make a record of the IMEI number. It is a 16 digit number which is specific to your phone which the Police can use to track your phone, even if the thieves have changed the SIM card.
You can find your phone’s IMEI number printed on the box in which it came or, if you don’t have the box you can access it by dialling *#06# – this will display your phone’s IMEI on the screen.
It’s also a good idea to make a record of any other numbers on the phone’s insides and on the box (this is also good advice for any electronic device, such as DSLRs and MP3 players all of which will have unique ID numbers stamped on them).
Here’s how it works. The Police have two methods for tracking your phone when it’s stolen, they can use your phone number or your IMEI number. The problem with your phone number is that thieves can easily just discard your SIM card and replace it another. Because the IMEI number is registered to your specific handset the Police will be able to track the device itself, even if the SIM card has been changed.
b) Register your phone
After making a note of the IMEI number the next thing you need to do is register your phone with your service provider. Forget the extra offers that your service provider will promise you for registering; the real benefit is being able to get quick access to tools that could help you recover, or at least block your phone.
You should know that blocking a phone is not the same as locking it. A blocked phone is one that cannot be used to make or receive phone calls, SMS messages, or connect to a 3G/4G network. The person who has your phone will still be able to access your device’s photographs, contacts book, and messages. So makes sure that you know whether your service provider is locking or blocking your phone (or both).
Don’t worry if they are just blocking it, there are apps designed to let you remotely access and lock your phone, so even if they can’t help you can still work to protect your information.
c) Use a PIN code
This one is simple but often overlooked. You need to place a PIN code on your phone. This should obviously be memorable but do avoid useless combinations of numbers, such as 1234 – this will be the first thing that a thief will try. If you are using an Android phone and are using the pattern unlock feature make sure that this is set up not to show the pattern you use.
d) Protect your voicemail
It is as important to use a PIN code for your voicemail as it is to use one for your phone. If you have not done so already set up a PIN for your voicemail now.
e) Ensure your phone auto locks
British Police recommend that you set your phone to automatically lock itself after 60 seconds of inactivity.
f) Download security apps
Downloading a tracking app is vital if you want to recover your stolen phone. According to the Police these apps are the only way that they can track your device
“Even if a phone has GPS built in, police cannot locate a stolen or missing phone unless the tracker app is fitted and enabled.”
There are dozens of apps on the Google Play Store and the iTunes store designed to help you track your phone if it is lost or stolen. Many of these operate on a freemium basis, so you have access to some basic features for free but will have to pay to access more powerful ones.
One of the best apps you can download to help you track your phone is Lookout Mobile Security. The app works like a virus scanner and also allows you to backup your phone’s contacts to the web. But more importantly it has a number of features designed to let you recover your phone should it be lost or stolen.
With the app you’ll be able to find out where your phone is using Google Maps and, if you want to, you can set off an ear piercing alarm to annoy the thieves. Android users that have upgraded to the premium version of the app are able to remotely lock their phones and even wipe them. iPhone users can use the free Find My iPhone service from Apple to track their device.
Remember that if your smartphone is connected to a 3G/4G or wireless network you should be able to remotely install these apps from your home computer – so even if you didn’t install these before your phone was taken it might not be too late.
You can also download Dropbox for iOS and Android smartphones. This app automatically uploads photos to your Dropbox account, so that you don’t have to lose your photos along with your phone (and you might even see some photos that the thief has taken with your phone).
There are plenty of other apps out there, so be sure to explore the Security section of the Android/iTunes stores.
If these apps do give you a location for your phone don’t try to recover it yourself, give the information to the Police.
g) Permanently mark your phone
If the Police do manage to recover your phone you will need to prove that your phone is actually yours. There are several ways to do this (tell them who’s in your contact book) but one of the simplest is to have already marked the inside of your phone with a permanent marker or sticker. Signing your name to the inside of your phone can be the easiest way to prove it’s actually yours but if you don’t want to go that far a small mark in a memorable place on the phone’s inside should be sufficient.
h) Change your account details
When your phone is taken it’s vital that you remember each account that you have connected to it and then change all of your passwords. Chances are that you will have connected your Google/Gmail account, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media accounts. You will need to make sure each of these will be inaccessible to the person who has taken your phone.
These accounts not only give the thief access to post content on your accounts but also allows them to access your personal information, leaving you open to various forms of identity theft.
i) Remotely log out of your accounts
Changing your social media and email passwords is only part of the story. You should also remotely log out of these accounts. This means that if you are permanently logged into your Gmail or Facebook account on your phone those sessions will be closed and your phone will ask anyone who tries to access them for your username and password.
- Twitter: On Twitter you can revoke apps’ access to your account from the website’s Applications’ page.
- Facebook: Ending “Active Sessions” for your smartphone should prevent it from accessing your account. If that doesn’t work try changing your password.
- Google/Gmail: For Gmail and all Google accounts, open Gmail and click the “Details” link on the bottom right of the page. From there you will be able to remotely sign out of all sessions.
- Dropbox: You will need to change your password.
Where possible set up 2-step verification on your personal accounts.
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