Easily Learn How to File a Police Report for a Stolen Phone

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Do You Know How to File a Police Report for a Stolen Phone?

If you've ever had your phone stolen, you know how frustrating it is to lose access to the important information on the device. Even worse, now all that data is in someone else's hands. If this happens, you must know .

You not only need a police report when you make an insurance claim for the lost phone, but you also need it to protect yourself. If the wrong people have access to your personal information, it can cause a lot of legal and financial problems for you. A police report is an important step to set the record straight.

Why You Must File a Police Report for a Stolen Phone

Because smartphones are so valuable and portable, they're a popular target for theft. Unfortunately, criminals aren't just getting away with your expensive property, but they're also potentially getting sensitive information as well. Capable hackers could access your bank accounts, credit card information, and private social media.

To prevent being responsible for charges made or fraudulent accounts opened in your name, it's important to establish that your phone has been stolen. Some cell phone carriers require you to file a police report to prove your phone was stolen. You will also need a police report to file an insurance claim for your phone.

How to File a Police Report for a Stolen Phone

You have a few options to report the theft of your phone.

In-PersonFind the address of your local police station and go there to file the report in person. Be prepared to wait, because your phone is probably not the most pressing issue for the police officers.
PhoneFind the non-emergency number for the police station and call to make your report. Depending on how busy the station is, you may wait on hold for a while.
OnlineGo to the website of your local police department.

Can a Police Report for Your Stolen Phone Be Filed Online?

If you're not looking forward to going to the police department or calling them and trying to get the attention of the overworked officers, there's good news. In certain cases, you can file your report online.

Types of Crimes That Can Be Reported Online

  1. Property that was lost or accidentally left in a public place
  2. Graffiti
  3. Criminal mischief - intentional damage to property
  4. Petit larceny - Theft of property worth $1,000 or less, unless it was taken from you directly or taken by force

Requirements to File a Report Online

Counties have different expectations for online police reports, but most of the time the following requirements must be met:

  • You must be at least eighteen years of age
  • The theft must have occurred in the county in which you're reporting it
  • You have no helpful information about a suspect or the crime
  • There is no physical evidence

What to Do If You Can't File the Report Online

If you can't figure out how to use the online form to file your report, you will have to go to or call the station to speak to someone directly. Keep in mind that you're filing this police report mostly to create a paper trail to protect yourself. It's highly unlikely that the police will be able to find your phone, so your case will probably not be their first priority.

File Your Report Easily With DoNotPay

If your phone has been stolen, you're already dealing with enough frustration. DoNotPay can take care of the police report for you, and we make it easy.

How to file a police report using DoNotPay:

If you don't want to deal with the police report on your own, DoNotPay can take care of it in 3 easy steps:

  1. Search "police report" on DoNotPay and select the type of incident you would like to report.

  2. Tell us more about the incident that occurred, including the location, date, time, and sequence of events. Include information on financial losses, personal injuries, or property damage that happened as a result.

  3. List any suspects or witnesses you are aware of, verify your contact information, and submit.

Why DoNotPay Is the Easiest Way to File a Police Report

Losing your phone is stressful, having your property stolen is stressful, and on top of all that, getting a police report filed is also stressful, but DoNotPay knows how to navigate the process with very little effort from you. We're equipped to communicate with the police across the country, so you know your report will be filed quickly and accurately.

Stolen phones aren't the only police reports we can navigate for you either. Here are some of the issues we can address with the police on your behalf.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do for You?

Filing police reports is just one of the services we offer. DoNotPay was created to deal with both large and small problems, so you don't have to. Here's just a sample of ways we can help you.

No one wants to deal with , and that's exactly why DoNotPay exists. Let us show you how we can make your life easier with just a click of a button.

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