July 18, 2026
How to File a Police Report for a Stolen Phone (With Your IMEI)
Why bother filing a report at all
Most insurance and carrier claims for a stolen device require a police report number before they'll process anything. It also gets your device's IMEI onto a blacklist that carriers check, which makes the phone far less valuable to resell — reducing the incentive to steal phones in the first place.
What information to have ready
Your device's IMEI number (dial *#06# on most phones to find it, or check your original packaging), the make and model, the approximate time and location it was taken, and a brief description of the circumstances.
Where to find your IMEI if the phone is already gone
If you can't dial the code because the phone is missing, check your carrier account online, your original purchase receipt or box, or an account where you'd previously registered the device — this is exactly the kind of detail worth having logged somewhere before you need it, not after.
Filing online vs. in person
Many police departments now accept non-emergency theft reports online, which is usually faster than an in-person visit for a straightforward phone theft. Check your local department's website for a non-emergency reporting portal before assuming you need to go in.
The IMEI is doing more work than it looks like
Once a device's IMEI is blacklisted through a carrier or GSMA's shared registry, it stops working on participating networks worldwide, not just with your original carrier — which is the actual mechanism that makes a stolen phone hard to resell. Getting the report filed with an accurate IMEI is what triggers that, not the report itself. If you haven't logged your IMEI anywhere yet, DevTrac captures it automatically when you register a device, so it's on hand before you'd ever need it.
Related feature
Generate a police report for a stolen phone in one click
See how it works →Start protecting a device in under five minutes — free 7-day trial, no card required.
Create free account
