3 October 2008
Consumers are being urged to remove any personal information from their mobile phone before throwing them away or selling them on. New research from BT, the University of Glamorgan and Edith Cowan University reveals that at least one in five second-hand handsets still contains sensitive data. Information stored on the phones included bank account and personal medical details, financial company data and sensitive business plans. Blackberry devices were found to contain the most information, with 43% of those examined containing data that could be exploited by identity thieves or other fraudsters. Dr Andy Jones, Head of Information Security Research at BT, said it is difficult to understand why consumers are not taking the necessary precautions when disposing of mobile phones given the level of exposure that the subject of identity theft has received. Recent research carried out by Credant Technologies revealed that in the last six months, almost 56,000 mobile phones have been left in the back of London taxis.
© 2008 Adfero Ltd
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