What is some advice I can get for a stolen phone?

[tehzan]

I am at a loss as to where to ask this. Little over a month ago I had lost my Nexus 5 and had done the things someone should do when missing their device. I located it with Google's Android Device Manager in case I had just forgotten it only to find it is 200 miles from where I was staying at the time, deactivated the phone through Ting, and even contacted the local authorities. I gave them all the info I can about the situation, even the part where the thief tried asking for money in exchange for my phone. The whole thing seems to be going nowhere and I don't know what to do next.

Any advice?

 

[VidJunky]

You've been living without a phone for a month? That sucks. I'm sorry that you've had no progress in your attempts to recover the device. I've heard similar stories all over the web and from friends. Carriers will not divulge the location of lost devices, authorities will not pursue the recovery of devices, and any attempt at self recovery can land you in trouble with the law. So really what is the use of all of this tech if nothing can or is being done to recover the device or punish those committing these acts? Actually your reporting the incident to your carrier and the authorities may only stop the perps from selling or activating the device, and even that is not 100%. Meanwhile my only advice is to turn it into your insurance carrier, which you hopefully opted for and get a replacement device. Then of course be more guarded with the next device. I'm not sure there is much else you can do, legally anyway. I'm not sure if you've been seeing them but device recycling boxes have started to show up in my area. They offer cash for old phones, the thing with that is they have several layers of security to prevent the acceptance of stolen devices. However should a stolen device be successfully deposited they do say they will return the device to the owner or the authorities once the device is recognized as being a stolen device. In a way there is a chance that you could get the phone back if they tried to go this route.

If you didn't opt for insurance eBay is an excellent resource for finding a used device at a reduced cost. There may be other places also but when replacing a broken device eBay had the best price for what I was looking for. I wish you better luck in the future.

 

[32gig]

If you didn't opt for insurance eBay is an excellent resource for finding a used device at a reduced cost. There may be other places also but when replacing a broken device eBay had the best price for what I was looking for. I wish you better luck in the future.

Another place for used phones is swappa.com. give them a look, I've purchased 2 phones from their website with no issues..

Posted via Android Central App

 

[bjrosen]

I assume that you've also notified your phone company so that they can put it in their database which will prevent it from being activated again. Aside for that you should just buy a new phone and get on with your life. Consider it as an opportunity to upgrade to a Nexus6.