BBC expert advises anyone with an iPhone or Android to ‘dial the 7-digit code now’

Simple settings will prevent information from being stolen from people, and may also help you get your phone back.

The BBC expert advised anyone with an iPhone or Android mobile phone to enter the seven-digit code on the keypad and added: “It’s unique.” Speaking on BBC Morning Live, former detective Mark Kananur said phone thefts were “plaguing” the streets.

According to recent data, more than 200 phones are stolen every day in England and Wales. And if people don’t take action, criminals can gain access to banks, emails and all their personal data.

Mr Kanakur said there was one thing people should do immediately and “a lot of police officers stress the importance of this” – the IMEI number, which can be accessed using a code on a keypad – just like you would dial a number.

He said: “Imagine a fingerprint that is unique to us as a person, an IMEI number that is unique to that device. And what that is, it’s basically almost like an alternative number plate for a car. How do you get that? I want you to go old school now and write it down so that if your phone is stolen, you have a real chance of getting it back.

“So, you can write it down with pen and paper. There are ways to either put it on a box. Most people throw it away. Or you can go into your device’s settings and search that way. But the easiest way, like making a phone call, is to go to your phone and type star06#. Write it down and your unique IMEI number will be listed there. Write it down. Put it in a safe place.

“Once you get that, you’re obviously going to report the phone stolen to the police, and the police are going to take advantage of that. They’re going to store it on the National Mobile Property Registry, NPR, or an immobilized website that you, the public Joe, can also use. It’s vital data that, like I said, gives them the ability then, if they issue police search warrants or that phone is potentially traded at a thrift store, to say this phone is stolen, we’re going to keep it. You can. get it back and that phone can hold all those treasured memories.”

He described one innovation as a “game changer” known as stolen device protection. He said, “It’s for the iPhone. And then you have what’s called identity verification for your Android phones. Again, your Google, your Samsung. And what it basically does is your phone, wherever it is, it says, ‘Where am I?’ Don’t recognize this area. It’s a little unfamiliar.”

“So, I’m going to lock down settings, the ability to change your passwords, access to certain things like financial apps, etc. So, it really locks that down. And it gives you the ability, if your phone is stolen, at that hour to say, ‘Okay, I need to report this.’ And therefore, it prevents criminals from making those major changes right there while they have the stolen device. So, great package. Really, really. And it obviously gives you the ability to not lose that vital information.”

He explained that in some cases, a person does not need to do anything because if they have the latest software, then Apple will do it automatically. He said: “This is the default app. Or for Android, if you have any software update above 15, it will be done automatically. Apple iOS update: “You look at the scroll bar. Is this a swipe? Therefore, this tells you that this happens automatically. For Android, select Google options again, go to settings and see if it scrolls. You want this to be always on. Gives you confidence, a chance to save this information on your phone. Really simple process, really effective.”