Users can block access to a lost smartphone by going to the government’s own CEIR portal. Read the article to know how to use it.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Users can head to CEIR to track stolen smartphones.
- CEIR stands for Central Equipment Identity Register.
- It is developed by the DoT to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market.
Losing a smartphone is unfortunate, but it’s not uncommon. Sometimes it happens to us. Sometimes, it happens with someone we know. In that case, what do you do? You file an FIR. Or, you use features like Find My Phone. What if your hunt is still unsuccessful? That’s what we are covering in today’s article, that is, teaching you how to track a stolen smartphone with the Indian government’s portal, called CEIR.
CEIR stands for Central Equipment Identity Register. It is developed by the Department of Telecommunications to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market. Why is that important? It simply has to do with your data. If your data or the phone that is registered under your name gets compromised, it can cause big trouble. Therefore, this website helps you register a complaint and track the whereabouts of your smartphone. Most importantly, it lets you block access to the smartphone even if the SIM in the device is changed.
Also Read : SBI customer alert! ‘Your account will be blocked if you don’t update PAN’ – Do this if you get such message
How to use CEIR?
Using the CEIR website is simple. If you’ve lost your phone, use the block option on the CEIR website. If you select this option, the site will open a form which asks for your mobile number, IMEI number, model, and other relevant details. Users must remember that you need the police complaint number to submit a form, which you’ll get while registering an FIR.
What should you do if you’ve found the phone? Very simple, there’s an unblock option. Click on it, and submit the Request ID and other details. Through this method, you can unblock access to your recovered smartphone. There’s also a ‘Check request status’ option to see the status of the stolen smartphone.
Basic practices
Now that you know how to track and monitor stolen smartphones, let’s talk about some other issues that you must practise. First, if you’ve bought a second-hand phone. How to check whether it’s stolen or not? Two solutions.
You can send a message saying KYM followed by IMEI number to 14422. If the phone is genuine, you’ll get a reply bearing information about the phone. If you get a reply saying blacklisted, don’t use it because it might be stolen. Alternatively, you can download the KYM app on Google Play and Apple Store to get more information.
In case you cannot find the IMEI number, the information will be available in the Settings app. Or, dial *#06#. The IMEI number is also available on the box of the smartphone.
Another important practice you must follow is to save the IMEI number on a notepad. Users must also periodically back up files on cloud storage or a hard drive to recover lost files.
