14 May 2008
With recent research from CPP indicating that one in five 16 to 24-year-olds have been a victim of mobile phone theft, two experts have offered advice to help people minimise their risk.
John Walkley - head of CPP Phonesafe - and Mick McNally, detective superintendent of the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit, said that there are measures people can take to help protect themselves from losing data.
For example, Mr Walkley suggested that using the pin function to lock a phone can help limit thieves' access to information.
Mr McNally explained that in addition to using the pin lock, mobile owners should ensure they have access to the 15-digit IMEI number of the phone, which is located underneath the battery.
"If you tell the network that that is your number and it needs to be blocked, then it takes all of the value out of the mobile phone for the criminal," he explained.
They also recommended that mobile owners make sure they are aware of all the information that is stored on their phones.