Kenyans often lose their phones and national identity cards. The usual response is to replace the SIM card and cancel any ATM cards so as to ensure no money or information is lost.
However, warnings have recently emerged telling Kenyans to ensure that they file a police report should they ever lose phones, ATM cards or national IDs.
Facebook user, Wahome Thuku, recently shared a post insisting on the importance of the police report.
"From today make sure that you report the loss to the police and get an abstract immediately," he stated.
Ordinarily, Kenyans wouldn't bother with such procedures due to the laxity of the police service when filing a report. Results are rarely immediate and the reports won't bring back the phone anyway.
Nevertheless, Mr. Thuku's warning was of a different nature.
"Sounds very unconvincing and time wasting, especially because you know they won't act. I thought so. Until I met someone who spent a year in remand after his lost/stolen phone was used to extort money in the name of Mungiki," Mr. Thuku explained.
He further warned that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations wouldn't be bothered with any recurring damage from their wrongful arrest even though the victim spent a year in jail.
"Reporting is for your own protection," he said.
One user added, "My sister lost her handbag that had her IDs, ATM and phone. She reported to the cops, applied for another ID and notified the banks that disabled the ATM [card]. The thugs used the ID to register a Safaricom line and M-Pesa. The line was used to steal money from a bank totalling millions.... After investigations anti-fraud and CID officers pounced on my sister... Long story short, [the] report she made at Kasarani Police Station saved her from rotting in jail. It's that OB (Occurrence Book) No. that saved her."
Crooks who steal or find phones/IDs use them to commit crimes with different identities. Money could be stolen or fraudulent transactions done with your identification to prevent investigators from catching them.
As the cases of insecurity rise in the country, it is better to be vigilant than regretful. Always report lost or stolen phones, IDs or any identification paraphernalia to the police.