6 steps to follow if you lose your phone

A lot of foreigners hear about "losing face" in Chinese society, but we all know there's one thing that's even worse to lose -- your phone!

Mobile phones are becoming more and more important in our daily life. They're as useful as a kidney if you can't find it. So, if you lose your mobile phone in China, what should you do? 

Please, don't say "call the police", it's just a waste of time usually. The right steps would be:

1. Call yourself (and then your family)

The first thing to do when you find your phone missing is to borrow a phone and call yourself. If someone finds it and picks up, you pretty much have it back already. However, if it's off or has been stolen, you need to let your family know what has happened. That helps keep them informed and prevents a thief from stealing your identity using your phone.

2. Report loss of mobile phone number

Privacy is important, make sure to call your phone carrier and report the loss of your mobile phone. The number of three major phone carrier in China are:

China Mobile: 10086

China Unicom: 10010

China Telecom: 10000

3. Call or visit your bank to freeze your online banking

If your bank card is tied to your WeChat pay and Alipay, make sure you call the bank to freeze your online banking. The major banks in China all have English telephone service. Below are the number of commonly used banks in China:

Bank of China: 95566

China Construction Bank: 95533

Bank of Communications: 95559

Agricultural Bank of China: 95599

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: 95588

Be ready to give them all the information they need, like a passport number or ID card. Make sure you didn't lose these too!

4. Freeze your Alipay account

Borrow a mobile phone and log in to freeze your Alipay account. It is a good idea to, right now, write down your passwords and make sure they are saved somewhere other than your phone.

Scroll down for more steps.

1. Click on "Settings" on "Me".

2. Then choose "Security Setting".

3. Click on "Security Center".

4. Click on "" (Report the loss of my account).

5. Report the loss immediatly.

5. Freeze your WeChat account

For WeChat Pay, there are several ways you can do it.

Scroll down for more steps.

1. Log in and freeze the account in your friend's phone

1. Click on "Setting" on "Me".

2. "Account Security"

3. Click on "WeChat Security Center".

4. Freeze Account.

5. WeChat itself has a good explanation for you.

2. Freeze your account on the computer

1. First you need to visit this website to freeze it: 110.qq.com.

2. You will see a page like this, choose "Freeze account" () like below.

2. Click on WeChat.

3. Fill in your personal information.

6. Get your new phone and SIM card

Take your passport/documents and visit your carrier to get a new phone number -- you can apply for the same phone number as before!

The last thing you need to do is buy a new mobile phone and keep it safe! If you need more help, let us know! If you like this article, please share it with your friends. Although nobody wants to lose their phone, it's always wise to save this article just in case!

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