What to Do If You Lose Your Smartphone

Losing your smartphone is a big threat to your personal security. Many people’s smartphones contain sensitive information that could lead to identity theft and bank fraud.

Every year, more than 60 million smartphones are lost. According to a study by Symantec, 96 percent of lost/stolen smartphones contain sensitive information that is easily accessible.

So what should you do if you lose your smartphone? Following these tips will significantly help you.

Password protect your smartphone.

If you haven’t lost your smartphone, password-protect the lock screen. This will make it difficult for individuals to access information on your smartphone. Here are some password tips for locking your smartphone.

• How to password protect iPhone
• How to password protect Android
• How to password protect BlackBerry

These how-to guides will help you in password protecting your smartphone.

Install and activate smartphone finder app.

Many new smartphones including newer iPhones have apps that allow you to search for your phone’s location based on GPS. Apple has the Find My iPhone app. Android has the Plan B app. Be sure these apps are installed and activated on your phone.

Call your smartphone and retrace your steps.

If you just realized that you’ve lost your smartphone, try giving it a call. You might have just misplaced it. If you still can’t find it, retrace your steps. If you’ve visited any businesses, check their lost and found.

Call your phone company.

When you’ve exhausted your search, call your phone company. Let them know that you’ve lost your smartphone. They will be able to disable phone service. This will help protect you against call billing charges. If you didn’t password protect banking or other paid services on your phone, be sure to contact those services about the missing phone.

Following these tips will help you find your smartphone and protect your privacy. You might even want to consider getting insurance for your smartphone. This could help with the replacement cost of the smartphone.

At Hue & Cry, Inc., we help homeowners, business owners and even contractors with security systems and other fire and life safety solutions. For more helpful tips, visit the Hue & Cry Blog at www.HueAndCry.com/blog.