iPhone stolen in South Africa: who to call
Take a breath, and ask someone to help if you can. We read each number below on an official page on 3 November 2026. Where it's a regulator's or government page rather than the company's own, the note says so. Numbers change, so if one doesn't work, use the official page beside it. Numbers that only work from your own network's phone won't help until you have a SIM again, so look for another way to reach them. Call costs vary.
First steps
- Mark your iPhone as lost at icloud.com/find. Here's the full plan.
- Block your SIM with your network, so nobody else can receive your login codes. Ask how to get your own codes or a replacement SIM.
- Call your banks and e-wallets, and ask them to protect your accounts.
- Report it to the police and ask about blocking the phone.
Emergency numbers
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| Police emergencyCall for a crime emergency | 10111 The government page says to call 10111 for crime emergencies. Vodacom's page also names 112 as the emergency number that a blocked phone can still call, but we did not find a government page that explains 112. Official page |
Mobile networks
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| VodacomBlock (blacklist) your phone, and lock your SIM | 082 135 (free from a Vodacom phone; from any other phone, normal call rates apply) Follow the voice prompts. Have ready the last date and number used on the phone, your full name and ID number, and the phone's IMEI, make and model. You can ask for a full lock on a lost or stolen SIM, which stops incoming and outgoing calls. Vodacom's page does not give hours. It does not say if the number works from abroad. Official page |
| Cell CBlacklist your phone | 084 135 (Cell C says its call centre can help for free) Have ready your cell number, the phone's make, model and IMEI, and the case number if you have reported the loss. You can also email Cell C, but the address is hidden on the page, so use its page. The page does not give hours. Official page |
Banks
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| Standard BankReport a lost or stolen card, or report fraud | Lost or stolen cards: 0800 020 600 from South Africa, +27 10 824 1514 from abroad Fraud line: 0800 222 050 from South Africa, +27 10 824 2090 from abroad In the banking app, you can unlink a lost or stolen device under More, then Security, then View all devices. The pages do not give hours. Official page |
| AbsaReport a lost or stolen card, or suspected fraud | Lost or stolen cards: 0800 111 155 or +27 (0) 11 501 5050 Fraud hotline: 0860 557 557 or +27 (0) 11 501 5089 Hours: 24 hours, every day In the Absa app, tap the telephone icon to report fraud, and a consultant calls you back. We did not find Absa's steps for a stolen phone, so ask the fraud hotline about your banking app. Official page |
| NedbankDeactivate your banking app and remove cards from digital wallets | 0800 110 929 Hours: 24 hours, every day Nedbank says it can deactivate your banking app and remove digital tokens from wallets. You can also use Online Banking or cellphone banking on *120*001#. The page does not say if the number works from abroad. Official page |
| FNBDelink your stolen phone and secure your banking profile | 087 575 9444 (Fraud Team) FNB says to call immediately. The page does not give hours or say if the number works from abroad. Official page |
Report it to the police
If nobody is in danger, report the theft at the nearest police station. The government page says the police will open a case and investigate. We could not open the South African Police Service's own pages, so we can't say how it gives you a case number. Cell C asks for a case number, and your bank may too, and your bank may too, so keep what the police give you.
| Who | What to do |
|---|---|
| Report a crime at a police stationReport a stolen phone | Use their official help page. The government page says you must report the incident at the nearest South African police station. It also lists an anonymous tip line, Crime Stop, on 08600 10111, which is for passing on information, not for reporting your theft. Official page |
Block the phone
Phones are blocked by your mobile network, which calls it blacklisting. Vodacom says a blacklisted phone is disconnected from all networks and can only call the emergency number. Vodacom's page does not say whether you get a reference number. We did not find a national service you can use yourself, so ask your network. We could not read MTN's or Telkom's pages on this, and the Cell C page does not say if its block reaches other networks.
Report fraud or identity theft
We did not find a single South African service on an official page that cancels all your cards at once or freezes your credit. Call each bank, and tell the police if someone has used your accounts.
Not checked yet
We couldn't read these on an official page, so we don't list numbers for them. Check with them directly.
- South African Police Service (reporting and case numbers)
- MTN (blacklisting a device)
- Telkom Mobile
- Capitec (lost or stolen phone and card)
Please don't
- Don't remove the iPhone from Find My. That takes off Activation Lock.
- Don't go after the phone yourself. If Find My shows where it is, tell the police.
- Don't trust a message saying your iPhone was found. Here's how that scam works.
How FirstHour helps
Plan B gets you ready before anything happens. FirstHour's built-in provider lists cover the Philippines and the US for now. In South Africa, you get the general first-hour steps, and you can add your own providers and numbers. Send your plan to someone you trust or print it. FirstHour can't lock your accounts or find your phone for you.