Hello Nairalanders, please I need your intelligent opinion on this pressing matter.
My friend's phone was stolen a week before passing out of NYSC at a particular function organized by a certain group.
(As I narrate the event that took place before the phone went missing, I will not divulge certain info that can tip the thief off. He or she may be on NL too, although I seriously doubt it.)

On the faithful day this phone was stolen, the battery was almost dead so he decided to charge it @this public function. Ordinarily, no security conscious individual would have made that mistake but for the nature of the place the event took place. He decided to plug the phone along with other phones. Hours later, he came down to check his phone and it was about 70% charged. He decided to leave for few minutes. Meanwhile, unknown to him a thief was watching and had discovered the phone he checked among the numerous phones being charged.
While my friend left that area, the thief unplugged the phone and plugged a power bank. People seated around the area didn't suspect any fowl play.
Moments later, my friend came back to unplug his phone but the phone was missing save the charger and an unknown power bank whose owner is no where to be found.
The MC of the event raised alarm and pleaded with the thief to return the phone but it was a futile attempt.
My friend came back from NYSC phoneless and broke. He has been going for interviews where they request for emails and phone number. Now he has to borrow phone to make and receive calls. He goes to cafés paying money just to check important emails. In short, life has never been the same again. Devastated, he resigned to fate and hoped for a miracle.
So one night we decided to call the number, it rang and someone picked ( I have the record of the conversation on my phone). The person claimed someone kept the phone in the person's possession. The person mentioned the name of the individual that kept the phone in our receiver's possession. I asked for the surname of the person but the receiver refused to tell us. Then I discovered that I was really speaking with the thief that stole my friend's phone. The thief had been using the phone days after stealing my friend's phone. Picking his calls, receiving his messages and emails. Till today the phone and the sim is still active.
Any time my friend checks his emails, he realises that someone has checked it before. So I told him not to tamper with the password of his email hoping that someday we can trace the phone using his gmail. We have searched play store and Google on how to trace the phone but all the attempt has been unsuccessful.

Nairalanders, pls I want to ask for your opinion on ways we can track the phone.
Note:
*The two sims in the phone are active.
*The thief only switch on the phone twice or thrice a week mostly in the night.
*The phone has not been wiped because the thief still have the access to my friend's email.
*I have a recorded conversation between me and the thief.

With this foregoing, please suggest opinions on how we can trace and retrieve this phone.
Thanks in anticipation for your intelligent replies.
Cc: honsule, puskin and dragnet lalasticlala

Obviously, the phone was stolen by a rookie, hence the continued availability of your friend's number.


From the post, it's safe to assume that no anti-theft app was installed on the phone before it was stolen. If this is true, then sadly, there is little or nothing your friend could do, really.


Okay, since the suspect still reads your friend's email (that could only mean he is hoping to impersonate or steal some vital information), why not set him up by sending a predefined email, requesting that a bank account number be forwarded so that money could be paid into it.



If my assumptions are right, I expect the suspect to forward an account number to the email. Once he does so, you can easily track him.

Tomjazzy2:
Obviously, the phone was stolen by a rookie, hence the continued availability of your friend's number.


From the post, it's safe to assume that no anti-theft app was installed on the phone before it was stolen. If this is true, then sadly, there is little or nothing your friend could do, really.


Okay, since the suspect still reads your friend's email (that could only mean he is hoping to impersonate or steal some vital information), why not set him up by sending a predefined email, requesting that a bank account number be forwarded so that money could be paid into it.



If my assumptions are right, I expect the suspect to forward an account number to the email. Once he does so, you can easily track him.

Thanks for your insightful opinion.

Xbee007:

Thanks for your insightful opinion.

Hope you are good with script writing?

The predefined email has to look very real and convincing enough. Thats the only way he could take the bait.


To give you an idea, since your friend is unemployed, he could send a predefined email, under the guise of some relative who wants to oblige to his monetary request.


Just imaging your uncle whom you've been pleading with to help you financially. What kind of email would he send?

Be sure not to send an email requesting just for a bank account details. That may be too obvious for a bait.

Gospel according to st. John

Tomjazzy2:



Hope you are good with script writing?

The predefined email has to look very real and convincing enough. Thats the only way he could take the bait.


To give you an idea, since your friend is unemployed, he could send a predefined email, under the guise of some relative who wants to oblige to his monetary request.


Just imaging your uncle whom you've been pleading with to help you financially. What kind of email would he send?

Be sure not to send an email requesting just for a bank account details. That may be too obvious for a bait.

Okay, we will see what we can do with this info. Thanks again.