Your phone was just stolen in South Africa. What to do in the first hour.
The phone is the smallest loss. What matters is what the phone unlocks: your bank, your WhatsApp, your email, and every one-time PIN sent to your number. Work through this in order. The first two steps are the urgent ones.
If you are still in danger, or you were just robbed or hijacked, call 10111 first. From any phone. Everything below can wait until you are somewhere safe.
Do these in this order
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Block your SIM
Do this before anything else, from any phone you can borrow. A SIM in someone else's hands receives your bank's one-time PINs, your WhatsApp verification code and your password resets. That is how a stolen phone becomes a drained account.
Ask for a hard lock (sometimes called a full admin lock), which blocks incoming and outgoing calls. A soft lock only stops outgoing calls and leaves incoming SMS working, which is exactly what you do not want.
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Lock your banking
Phone your bank's fraud line and tell them your phone was stolen. Ask them to suspend the banking app on that device and to flag the account for any SIM swap. Do this even if the phone was locked: notifications previewed on a lock screen can carry enough to start a reset.
If you bank on a laptop, change your banking password from there, and sign out of all devices.
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Blacklist the handset
Blocking the SIM protects your number. Blacklisting blocks the phone itself on every South African network, using its IMEI, so it cannot be used with a new SIM. These are two different jobs and you need both.
You will need the IMEI. If you have the box or the original receipt, it is printed there. If you still have the phone in your hand you can dial *#06# to display it — which is worth doing today, before anything happens, and saving somewhere.
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Open a case with SAPS
Go to any police station and report the theft. You will be given a CAS number. You need it for an insurance claim, and it is the record that the device was taken rather than sold on.
Take your ID and the IMEI number with you.
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Sign out of everything, remotely
From a laptop or a friend's phone: sign out of your Google or Apple account on the lost device, then change that password. Do the same for WhatsApp — you can log out of WhatsApp Web and, once your SIM is replaced, re-verifying your number on a new phone removes it from the old one.
Then work through your email. Anyone with your email can reset most other things.
Who to call to block a SIM or blacklist a phone
| Network | Number | Their own page |
|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | 082 135 Free from a Vodacom phone |
Phone & SIM security |
| MTN | 135 from an MTN phone 083 135 from any other |
Lost or stolen devices |
| Cell C | 084 135 | Blacklisting FAQ |
| Telkom | 081 180 | telkom.co.za |
Numbers change. These were correct at the time of writing and each row links to the network's own page. If a number does not work, that page will have the current one.
What they will ask you for
Vodacom, as an example, asks for your name, surname and ID number, the device's IMEI, its make and model, and the last date and number the device was used with. The other networks want much the same. Have your ID in front of you.
You do not need a police case number to blacklist your phone. Vodacom's own blacklisting process does not ask for one. People lose hours believing they have to go to the police station first — you don't. Blacklist immediately, open the case afterwards.
Do not go and fetch it
Find My iPhone and Find My Device will show you a location. Give that location to the police. Do not drive to it. People in South Africa have been killed recovering a phone worth a fraction of what it cost them.
The same goes for a "we found your phone, send a deposit" message. That is a well-worn scam aimed at people in exactly your situation.
What blacklisting does, and what it doesn't
It does: stop the handset connecting to any South African network, even with a different SIM in it. That is what makes a stolen phone worth far less locally.
It doesn't: erase your data, stop the phone being used on Wi-Fi, or stop it being sold across a border. Blacklisting is about the device. Your accounts are a separate job, and the more urgent one — which is why it sits third on the list above and not first.
Ten minutes that will save you next time
Do these now, while nothing is wrong. They cost nothing.
- Save your IMEI. Dial *#06# and write the number down somewhere that is not your phone.
- Turn off lock-screen previews for your banking and messaging apps, so an OTP is not readable on a locked phone.
- Write your bank's fraud line on paper and keep it in your wallet. You will not be able to look it up on the phone you no longer have.
- Set up your network's app or a second contact number so you can lock the SIM without a long call-centre queue.
- Keep enough cash to get home somewhere separate from your phone and your wallet.
Questions people ask
Should I block the SIM or blacklist the phone first?
The SIM, without question. The SIM is what receives one-time PINs. A blacklisted handset is a financial loss; an active SIM in someone else's hands is an open door to your bank.
Can I blacklist a phone without a police case number?
Yes. Vodacom's published process asks for your ID and the IMEI, not a case number. Still open a SAPS case afterwards — you need the CAS number for insurance, and it puts the theft on record.
How do I find my IMEI if the phone is already gone?
Check the original box or the purchase receipt, where it is usually printed. Your network may also have it on your account record, so ask when you call. If you bought the phone on contract, the store that sold it to you will have it.
What is a SIM swap, and why does everyone mention it?
It is when someone persuades your network to move your number onto a SIM they control. They then receive your OTPs without ever touching your phone. Ask your network to flag your number against SIM swaps when you report the theft, and treat any unexpected "your SIM has been swapped" message as an emergency.
My phone was insured. What do I need?
Generally the SAPS case number, the IMEI, proof that the device was blacklisted, and the date and circumstances. Insurers usually set a deadline for reporting, often within 24 or 48 hours, so make the calls before you sleep on it.
- 10111 — SAPS, for crime in progress or a threat to your safety
- 10177 — ambulance and fire
- 112 — from any mobile, routed to an emergency call centre; works with no airtime
The part nobody plans for
Most of this guide assumes you can still get home. Often the phone goes with the wallet, and the problem stops being administrative: no card, no cash, no way to call anyone, and no way to pay for a ride.
That gap is what we are building SOS Wallet for — money set aside in advance that you can reach at a till with nothing but a mobile number and a four-digit PIN. It is in development and not yet open to the public.