Guides / Bank app on a stolen phone

What to do if your bank app was on your stolen phone

Updated 3 November 2026 · By the FirstHour team

Short answerMark your iPhone as lost if you haven't yet. Then call your bank from another phone, tell them your phone was stolen, and ask them to turn off app access from it. Block your SIM too, so codes sent by text stop reaching the phone. Then check your accounts from a safe device, and report anything you don't recognize.

This happens to careful people, and you can start right now from a borrowed phone. Banks do things differently, so treat this as a guide to what to ask. It isn't financial or legal advice.

Do this first

  1. Mark your iPhone as lost at icloud.com/find. Apple says this locks the phone and suspends the cards you use with Apple Pay. Here's the full plan.
  2. Call your bank. Use the number on your card or the bank's website, or pick your country for hotlines we've checked. Say it's a stolen phone, not only a lost card.
  3. Block your SIM with your network, so codes sent by text stop reaching that phone. Codes in an app or email aren't affected, so change your passwords too.
  4. Change your passwords, starting with your Apple Account if the thief may know your passcode, then your email and any banking password you had saved on the phone.

If money may be moving right now, or you can't get into Find My, call your bank first. Metrobank's own advice also starts with the bank. Then come back and finish the rest. All of it matters, so don't stop to worry about the order.

What to ask your bank

Here's what some banks in the Philippines say, as examples. Metrobank suggests asking it to temporarily deactivate your online banking access. RCBC says its Customer Care can unlink the device. Registering a new phone then needs a code sent to your registered number, and a 24-hour cooling-off period follows. GoTyme says to report the phone and remove it from your online banking profile. BPI lets you permanently block a debit card from its app or website, or by calling its 24-hour Contact Center.

Ask for the name of whoever helped you if you can, and write down the time.

If money has already gone

Tell your bank straight away, and keep every reference number. Nobody can promise you'll get it back. It depends on your bank and your country, and on what happened. It's also worth reporting it to the police. In the Philippines, here's how.

In the Philippines, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), the central bank, says to complain to your bank first. If you're not satisfied with its response, you can take it to the BSP through its BSP Online Buddy chatbot, on the BSP website or its Facebook page. If you can't use the chatbot, you can email a complaint form to consumeraffairs@bsp.gov.ph, with proof that you went to your bank first. The BSP says it helps you and the bank communicate, so it isn't a promise of a refund. It also says not to share your PIN, password, account or card number, passbook, passport or other IDs with it. Our Philippines page lists bank hotlines.

In other countries, your bank is still the first call. Ask them who to go to next if you aren't satisfied.

Watch out for fake help

A thief may try to trick you into giving up what they still need. Get Cyber Safe warns not to click links or call numbers in suspicious messages, even if they say they're from your bank. If you get a message about your account, call the number you already trust. A similar trick is used for "your iPhone was found".

How FirstHour helps

With Plan B, you tick your banks ahead of time, so their numbers are ready in your first-hour plan. Checked numbers are built in for the Philippines and the US so far, and you can add your own anywhere. Protect points out pictures of cards and bank account numbers in Photos, though it can miss some. FirstHour can't lock your bank accounts or get your money back. Your bank does that. Your plan holds no passwords or card numbers.

Questions

Can a thief open my bank app?

It's hard to say, because it depends on your passcode, your app's own login and how you've set up your phone. Metrobank warns that passwords in Notes or your gallery, and logins saved in a browser, can help a thief. Act as though they could.

Will my bank pay back what was taken?

We can't tell you. It depends on your bank, your country and what happened. Report it quickly and keep your reference numbers.

Can someone else call my bank for me?

They can help you dial and take notes, but some providers will only talk to the account holder. Ask your bank what it accepts.

Sources

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