What should you do if your SIM is lost or stolen?

The urgent step is to have the SIM blocked as fast as possible — by calling the operator’s helpline or going to a care centre. The hurry is not about the value of the phone but about what the number can do.

A mobile number is effectively a key these days. Mobile-money accounts are tied to it, password-recovery codes for email and social accounts arrive on it, and banking OTPs go to it. Someone else holding your SIM holds the door to all of that.

1. Call the operator’s helpline and have the SIM blocked.
2. Tell your mobile-money provider so the account can be suspended.
3. File a general diary at a police station, quoting the IMEI if you know it.
4. Take your national ID to a care centre and get a replacement SIM on the same number.

You can get a replacement on the same number, and you should — abandoning the number makes recovering the accounts tied to it far harder. Replacement requires proof of ownership, so taking your national ID is essential.