Found a Samsung Phone - how to find owner?

Kerryite

I had a half day from work yesterday and as I was walking home I found a phone in a local park. It's a Samsung, with a distinct case and and some money stuck in it.

I brought it home and have set it charging using my kindle cable. I managed to turn it on and the lock screen shows a group of late teens - it's locked however and there's no chance I could guess the code.

I can now activate it every so often using the button on the right, however it's very sluggish and the screen only lights up every so often. It's still connected to the O2 network.

I'd like to try to get it back to its owner but don't know how, apart from waiting to see if it rings. However given its sluggishness I'm not sure if it's even working properly. (I've a iPhone so don't know anything about google phones.)

Any ideas on what to do?

ScouseMouse

If it can take calls, wait for the owner to ring it. If not, post a picture of the late teens wallpaper on facebook.

Someone will recognise them and get back to you.

GerardKeating

ScouseMouse wrote: »

If it can take calls, wait for the owner to ring it. If not, post a picture of the late teens wallpaper on facebook.

Someone will recognise them and get back to you.

Or just hand it in to the local Garda Station..

Agent_99

or an O2 shop they can trace the owner if the Sim card is registered

MarkR

Try 1993,1994,1995 etc. Passwords are often poor!

Charging it up is good, give it a few hours today to see if anyone calls, then either phone shop or garda station.

_Whimsical_

I'd have it off to the guards quick smart if it was me. If it's on it's possible the person who owns it has an app to trace it online. There's been a few stories of the guards following these things up and turning up at the door of thieves. You're clearly genuine but I'm sure you could do without the hassle.
The guards turning up would be best case scenario too, you definitely don't want some angry teenagers at your door and be trying to explain the story to them.

Fair play for your efforts and your honest nature though. It's nice to see someone doing that.

hfallada

OP have you called into O2 to see what they can do? I wont hand it into the Gardai( if you make sure you get a pulse number so it doesnt get "misplaced" like a wallet my friend handed into our local gardai station).

Dublin really needs a lost and found office. In was in Munich and they have one. Its surreal how good it is. Its run by the city of Munich. They store all the lost property fro the entire city and the public transport. If you lose your phone and its handed into the police station. Its booked and sent to the lost and found office. You go to the lost and found office with your IMEI code and they check the system. If its found you pay a fee to release it. They also store the lost bikes of the city and regularly auction them off.

I know a lost and found office costs money. But putting one in a cheap industrial unit in the suburbs and getting money from selling unclaimed items would cover some of it.

Kerryite

Hi all,

Thanks for all your responses and help here! I just phoned Cabinteely garda station (I found the phone while walking through Leopardstown racecourse) and they advised me to bring it to them. They said they get several phones handed in each day and would take it to O2 themselves to try to trace it.

I'm not going to make it there today but will drop it in over the weekend. Will update this thread if I hear anything else!