SHIMLA: With cyber fraudsters increasingly targeting people across the country through stolen credentials, compromised phones, fake calls, malicious links and financial scams, Himachal Pradesh Police has issued a fresh cyber-security advisory urging citizens to secure their mobile phones and other digital devices before they are lost or stolen.
The police cautioned that losing a smartphone today can expose far more than contacts and photographs. Banking applications, UPI accounts, passwords, identity documents, social-media accounts and other sensitive information stored on a device can potentially be misused for financial fraud and identity theft.
The advisory comes amid growing concern over the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by cyber criminals to target unsuspecting citizens. Police stressed that preventive security measures taken before a device goes missing can significantly limit the damage.
Himachal Police has urged users of iPhones, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi/Redmi, Realme, Vivo, Oppo, Motorola, Google Pixel, Nothing, Nokia, Honor and other smartphones to activate strong screen locks, biometric authentication and two-factor authentication.
Citizens have also been advised to keep Apple Find My, Google Find Hub, Samsung Find or the relevant device-tracking facility activated, along with location and theft-protection features. Regular operating-system and security updates and periodic backups should also be maintained.
Police said citizens should record their device's IMEI number, serial number, model and purchase details and keep the information safely available. Similar precautions should be followed for tablets and laptops, including activation of Find My Device on Windows computers and Find My Mac and available encryption features on MacBooks.
Every minute matters after a device is lost
If a phone or other device is lost, stolen or snatched, police have advised citizens to immediately lock and locate it through the official tracking service.
However, citizens have been specifically cautioned against attempting to recover the device themselves if its live location points to an unknown place. Instead, the location information should be shared with the police.
The SIM or eSIM should be blocked through the telecom service provider and a replacement SIM obtained. The loss or theft should also be reported to the police, providing the mobile number, IMEI or serial number, make and model and details of where and when the device went missing.
Citizens have further been advised to use the Government of India's Sanchar Saathi–CEIR facility to request blocking of the IMEI of a lost or stolen mobile phone.
Secure bank and UPI accounts immediately
Police said the risk becomes particularly serious when a lost device contains banking, UPI, wallet or other financial applications. In such cases, users should immediately contact their bank or concerned service provider and secure the affected accounts.
Passwords should also be changed wherever there is a possibility that they may have been compromised.
Addl. SP Narvir Singh Rathour, a cyber-crime expert and investigator with Himachal Pradesh Police, stressed that device security should be treated as seriously as the security of a home or bank account.
“The best time to secure your device is before it is lost. Once a device is stolen, every minute matters,” Rathour said, urging citizens to adopt five basic precautions—lock it, locate it, update it, record it and back it up.
He also warned citizens never to share OTPs, PINs, passwords or screen-lock codes with anyone, and not to confront or chase a person merely because a stolen device's live location appears on a tracking service.
Police emphasised that many device-tracking and theft-protection features must be activated before a phone or computer is lost. Waiting until after an incident can leave users with far fewer options to protect their data and recover the device.
The Himachal Pradesh Police has urged citizens to secure their devices now rather than after an incident, warning that while a phone can be replaced, compromised personal data, identity and money may be much harder to recover.
Lock it. Locate it. Update it. Record it. Back it up.
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