Lost my phone. I'm lost and Very Frustrated.

Logician · ‎10-22-2011

I had installed the Norton security package on my Android phone that I just lost (the free beta), and as I recall, it included anti-theft functionality.

I thought I'd configured and activated everything needed to be able to use the anti-theft functionality now that I've lost my phone.

But it seems I haven't. But I'm still not sure. And it it taking a bloody long time to figure out.

It's not easy to find info on this product/these products yet. Nothing that came up when I searched Norton Support for 'anti-theft' pointed me in the right direction. I can't find any links at https://market.android.com/details?id=com.symantec.mobilesecurity either, that point me to a site where I can login and use the anti-theft features!!

Eventually, I came to the forums and found this forum in the list, and the Quick Links were great.

I see that that NMS Lite has launched, featuring just REMOTE LOCK, but IIRC, the beta that I installed included the full anti-theft functionality. Anyway, I STILL can't seem to figure out how to make use of either, now that my phone is lost.

-Very Frustrated

Logician · ‎10-22-2011

More detailed info and messages:

At https://account.norton.com, I can login, but get

"There are no products or services in your Norton Account at this time.

Don't see your product listed here? View Order History"

It shows:

There are no orders in your Norton Account at this time.

At https://antitheft.norton.com/register.action, I get:

We could not detect a Norton Anti-Theft subscription associated with this Norton Account. If you have previously purchased a Norton Anti-Theft subscription, please enter your product key below.

I don't remember my product key; I'd enter it as soon as I got it and activate the product.

I am certain the product was installed and activated on my phone when I lost it.

DistEd2 · ‎08-11-2011

Hi, Logician,

There are a couple of issues confounding your situation. It sounds as though the product you had installed was Norton Mobile Security, which has its own forum here. It also has its own anti-theft functionality, which uses SMS text messages to activate its features, and doesn't depend on (or use) any website to make use of them.

This product, Norton Anti-theft, is a plugin for other computing devices--specifically desktop & laptop PCs and tablet computers, which cannot receive text messages, to allow them access to some of the same features. Because SMS is not available to them--but Internet connectivity is, this plugin makes use of a website, from which you can issue instructions to your device. But these functions or processes do not apply to any smartphone currently on the market.

For you, what you can--and need to--do is pretty simple. Here are your options:

If you want to locate your phone, you need to borrow someone's cellphone and text to your phone the message locate password (where "password" is the NMS password you set up when you configured the anti-theft component in NMS)
Once you have done this, if you want to lock your smartphone so no one else can use it, you need to text to your phone the message lock password
If, instead of locking your phone, you prefer to wipe it clean of all your data--and, if set up, any data on an inserted SD card, you need to text to your phone the message wipe password

Note that, if you had only installed the Beta, and it has by any chance either expired or automatically upgraded since the product was actually released, and you have not purchased a license, you will only have access to the lock command.

Good luck, and let us know if we can be of any further assistance!

Logician · ‎10-22-2011

THANK YOU.

Just sent the texts.

I can see (in my Google Voice log) that I sent a message when I first set it up to test it.

Phone still lost, but it seems the battery is dead, or worse. I got no reply to the text, and calls to to the phone go straight to vmail.

I wish my memory and the Norton documentation had been better. I'd have sent the texts last night, when the phone was still working, if either had been better.

Thanks; you couldn't have answered any better than you did; wish I'd posted last night...

Hopefully, someone'll power it up, it'll get the text, and tell me where it is, before taking out the SIM. I did have auto-lock enabled; the phone is at least locked, though the backups on the MicroSD chip probably mean all the data on it has been compromised.

P.S. Anyone finding the reCAPTCHA seems to be malfunctioning? I've failed the reCAPTCHA at least half the time!

DistEd2 · ‎08-11-2011

You're welcome; that's what we're here for.

Sorry the results don't seem to have been better. But you've done the right thing: if that phone gets turned on again, those commands will be received and execute. And believe me, crooks have done dumber things! So I'll say a quick prayer for you that your phone was either found by an honest soul and makes its way back to you intact, or that it was found by a moron who will soon be featured on Dumb Crook Stories!

Don't forget--you can also do all the traditional things one used to do for a lost phone: retrace your steps, ask around, notify the police and the management of any hotels or restaurants, etc. you might have patronized.

Don't forget, also, to take the appropriate actions for any and all sensitive information that may have been compromised, either in your phone's storage (access to e-mail accounts, eCommerce or banking sites, contacts lists, etc.) or on that SD card, should it contain any. Change all passwords for any accounts you even think may have been compromised, notify banks, eCommerce sites, etc., that criminals may have access to your accounts, if you had stored usernames/account numbers & passwords on your device. And be extra alert to protect yourself as this plays out--for example, if you lost your phone anywhere near where you live, it's not unheard of that an "honest stranger" might get your address out of your contacts and show up at your doorstep "to return your phone" ...accompanied by a couple of hidden, armed buddies who will force their way inside and rob you blind when you open the door in gratitude.

Be careful...and again, good luck.

DistEd2 · ‎08-11-2011

P.S. reCAPTCHA isn't malfunctioning--it's just a pain in the butt.

But it really is necessary, as the spambots are getting pretty sophisticated, and would otherwise have filled these forums so full of ads for Viagara and pleas for help smuggling Moammar Gadhafi's hidden fortune out of Libya in exachange for a 10% cut that I never would have seen your message! LOL

Logician · ‎10-22-2011

Well, the good news is the phone got turned on with my SIM in it, but it seems the Norton Mobile Security anti-theft feature isn't smart enough to turn on the phone's GPS!
I got a text back saying the phone had been locked, but didn't get one back with the phone's location.
I resent the texts and got another text back saying the phone had been locked, but again no location.
In other words,
lock pass
worked but
locate pass
didn't work.

I'm thoroughly used to passing reCAPTCHA tests, and am quite aware of their anti-spam usefulness. There reallly seemd to be a malfunction.

Logician · ‎10-22-2011

What the ...? It meems my respectful but critical post over on the Norton Mobile Security forum was deleted! Weird. I don't think I ran afoul of the forum rules.

My post count is 5, but only 4 posts are visible...

Andmike · ‎03-23-2011

Hi Logician,

Glad that you know that your phone is locked. If someone has turned it on and found it locked then there seems more chance of you getting it back. But we can but hope.

As for turning on the GPS - I don't think that is possible on most if not all Android phones unless you have root access and even if you had rooted your phone NMS will not take advantage of it as it is not designed to.

What slightly surprises me is that you are getting no response to locate. I thought that Norton used the best information it had and could use network information - often wildly out to send a response. However if that feature was turned off on your phone then Norton will have nothing to work with. Just in case it can use the network location you might like to try the "locate" message once more and see if can produce any response.

Personally I always leave my GPS active now, it does not seem to have any noticeable impact on the battery when there is no app actually using it. But it is there if I need to use "locate"

I doubt if any of the above helps but at least you know we are thinking of you.

Good luck.

As for your missing post it does seem odd. Unless you were excessively rude (which seems very unlikely) then I cannot think why it would have been removed, and apparently so quickly. It seems more likely that there was a glitch in the system (it happens) and you might like to try again.

DistEd2 · ‎08-11-2011

Hi again, Logician,

Looking back at your original post, you mentioned that you had not paid for the actual release of NMS once the Beta period was over. Since Beta "licenses" (as you'll no doubt recall!) were issued in 22-day increments, your Beta most likely expired and reverted to the Lite (free) version of the full release, which does not support the "locate" or "wipe" functions, only "lock."

Delighted to hear that you were able to lock your phone, though! That takes care of the security concerns I had mentioned--unless anything can be accessed from your SD card.