Lost your mobile? Here’s how to protect your data and apps

Contents:

• Lost your smartphone: What you should do first

• What happens to your Swiss Bankers app?

• New mobile: How to regain access to the Swiss Bankers app

• Be prepared: How to protect yourself in an emergency

• Conclusion: Your mobile’s gone, but you’re still in control

Lost your smartphone: What you should do first

If you can’t find your mobile phone, you should act quickly. After all, it often contains personal data, banking apps and digital payment cards. The main priority now is to prevent unauthorised access by third parties.

Here’s what you should do now:

• Locate and lock your mobile: On an iPhone, use the ‘Find My’ feature; on Android, use ‘Find My Device’. This allows you to locate your device and lock it remotely.

• Block your SIM card: Report the loss to your mobile network provider and have your SIM or eSIM deactivated. This will prevent anyone from misusing your phone number.

• Protect your payment cards: If you have payment cards stored on your smartphone, contact your card provider if you suspect any unauthorised use. You can contact Swiss Bankers’ customer service on +41 31 710 12 15. Further contact details can be found on the customer service page.

• Secure your account access: Change the passwords for your most important accounts, particularly your email account and your Apple ID or Google account. Also check the devices that are logged in.

• Report the theft: If your smartphone has been stolen, report it to the police. Keep the receipt for any insurance claim you may make.

Remote wipe as a last resort: If your mobile phone cannot be found, you can remotely wipe the stored data. Think carefully before taking this step: the wipe cannot be undone. On Android, it will no longer be possible to locate the device afterwards. On iPhones running iOS 15 or later, it is generally still possible to locate the device via ‘Find My’, provided the device is accessible via the network. Do not remove the iPhone from ‘Find My’ so that the activation lock remains in place.

Important: If the tracking function shows an unknown location, do not attempt to retrieve the mobile phone yourself. Your safety comes first.

What happens to your Swiss Bankers app?

Was the Swiss Bankers app also installed on your lost mobile phone? If so, you’re probably wondering whether anyone can access your cards or your balance. The app is protected by a personal SmartCode, fingerprint or Face ID. Furthermore, for security reasons, you’ll need to log in again after 30 minutes at the latest.

Here’s what matters now:

• Digital payment cards: If you’ve added your Swiss Bankers card to Apple Pay or Google Wallet, check with customer services to see if any additional security measures are required. You’ll find the contact details in the first chapter.

• Card transactions: As soon as you regain access to your account, you should check your recent payments. Report any unauthorised charges directly to Swiss Bankers.

Good to know: Losing your smartphone does not automatically mean that your payment card or balance have also been lost. Nevertheless, you should act immediately if you suspect any unauthorised use.

New mobile phone: How to regain access to the Swiss Bankers app

You’ve got your new smartphone, but how do you log back into your Swiss Bankers app? Fortunately, you don’t need to set everything up from scratch. The most important thing is that you have access to the mobile number you’ve registered with Swiss Bankers.

Here’s how to activate it:

• Recover your mobile number: If you’ve lost your SIM card along with your mobile, ask your mobile network provider to issue you with a new SIM or eSIM with the same number.

• Install the app: Download the Swiss Bankers app onto your new smartphone and log in using your registered mobile number.

• Confirm registration: Enter the SMS verification code and then open the verification link, which you will also receive via SMS.

• Unlock your cards: Once the app is activated, you can unlock your stored cards using the relevant card PIN, provided there is no security lock in place.

Good to know: The Swiss Bankers app can only be used on one smartphone at a time. It is therefore normally uninstalled from your old mobile phone before switching to a new device. Of course, this isn’t possible if your device has been lost or stolen. If you’re unable to activate the app, have a new mobile number or have forgotten your card PIN, Swiss Bankers Customer Service will be happy to help.

Be well prepared: How to protect yourself in an emergency

For many people, a mobile phone has long been more than just a phone. Banking apps, passwords, tickets and important contacts – we now keep so much on our smartphones. If you lose it, you’ll quickly realise just how dependent you are on it. With a few simple precautions, you can save yourself a lot of hassle.

Here’s what you should bear in mind:

• Secure your mobile properly: Use a strong passcode and enable Face ID or fingerprint recognition. This makes it harder for strangers to access your data.

• Enable the tracking feature: Check that ‘Find My’ on Apple or ‘Find My Device’ on Android is switched on. This allows you to locate your mobile or lock it remotely in an emergency.

• Save emergency contacts separately: Keep important phone numbers, such as those of your card provider and mobile network operator, stored separately from your smartphone.

• Back up your login details: Use a password manager with a secure recovery option. Make sure you can access it even without your lost mobile phone.

• Set up two-factor authentication: Do you use an authenticator app? Check how you can restore your accounts on a new device. Keep backup codes in a safe place away from your smartphone.

• Have an alternative payment method ready: A second card, kept separate from your smartphone, will be particularly helpful when travelling.

Beware of fake ‘found’ messages: Have you received a message saying your mobile has been found? Be careful. Fraudsters use such messages to obtain passwords and login details. Do not open any suspicious links and only use the official services provided by Apple or Google.

Our tip: Think about how you would lock your mobile and access your most important accounts if it suddenly went missing. Do you have the necessary login details and backup codes to hand? The best time to check this is whilst you still have your smartphone.

Conclusion: Your mobile’s gone, but you’re still in control

Losing your smartphone is a nuisance. Especially if it contains important apps, personal data and digital payment cards. The key is to lock the device quickly and protect your accounts.

Once everything is secured, you can sort out a replacement and restore your apps. It’s best to check today whether you can access your most important accounts even without your smartphone. In an emergency, this could save you a lot of time and hassle.