1. Switch it on:
Check whether the phone is turned on. If not, try to turn it on. In the contact list, search for contacts like “home”, “mom”, “dad” etc. If you find any, call to that number and inform them.
2. Try Charging it:
If the phone does not have any charge in it, try using a charger. If you can't find a suitable charger, ask your friends. If that fails too, try inserting the sim in your phone and search for contacts.
3. Check the sim card, inform service provider:
If you could not find any contacts, if the phone is locked or blocked, check the sim card and identify the service provider. It could be Airtel, Vodafone, Idea something like that. Call them then. They will be having a toll free number. Inform them that you got a phone.
4. Contact the Carrier:
If you couldn't take out the ism card, check the phone. Find out the phone manufacturer. It could be Nokia, Samsung, Micromax or something lie that. Take the phone to the nearest company outlet and hand it over to them they will charge it and help you in finding out the owner.
5. Take it to the police station:
If none of this worked, confidently walk to the nearest police station and hand it over to them. All you will have to do is to provide your name and address.
6. Meet in public Place:
If you could find out the owner, ask him/her to collect the phone from you. Ask the person to come to any public place. Go there with a friend of yours. Hand it over. Deal!
Don'ts
1. Don't insert your sim in the phone:
If the owner had realised that he/she had lost the phone, there are every possibility that he/she might block the phone. If you insert your sim, that too will be black listed. It is better not to make any personal calls or messages fro the found phone.
2. Do not send messages to any other numbers from the phone:
Do not send any messages or replies to any messages that comes to the phone, except those indicating that it is from the owner. Do not reply to any personal messages that come to the owner's in-box.
3. Do not take your pictures with that phone:
Do not take pictures of you, your friends or your home with the phone. Even if you delete it, there are softwares, which can be used to trace back the immediately deleted file. Do not risk your own self.
4.Be ethical:
Do not plan any pranks with the phone. Be decent and ethical.
5.Don't blindly believe anyone:
If you have any doubt in the person who claims that it is his phone, inform them that you will hand the phone over to the nearest police station. Give them the address of the police station and ask them to collect it from there.
Keeping the phone will be equal to stealing the phone. Remember there are so many ways to trace the phone nowadays. Though sometimes it might take time, they will eventually will find you. Then there will be no way for you to defend yourself. And also, there are so many who misuses cell phones. Somebody might have intentionally threw away the phone after committing some severe cyber crimes with it. If you decide to keep the phone, you will have t be responsible for this. Why should you risk yourself for something that is not yours? Give it back. Have peace of mind.
Good Luck!
