I was compensated for this post but all opinions are my own.
Last year 3.1 million smartphones were stolen in the U.S. alone, and nearly half of those phones were never recovered. That’s not even counting thefts of laptops and tablets. Did you just check to make sure you have your smartphone? I sure did when I first heard this statistic. My son and one of my nieces have both been the victims of smartphone theft. It’s such a frustrating and terrible feeling to have something so personal taken from you. Having my own phone stolen would be disastrous with all of the business I conduct from it. I shudder to think about it.
August is Device Theft Awareness Month!
For the month of August, I’ve partnered with Absolute LoJack, an industry leader in smartphone tracking software, to bring awareness to this epidemic, share crime prevention information and hopefully help keep you from being a victim of theft. Hopefully, this time next year I will be sharing that smartphone theft has significantly gone down thanks to heightened awareness and theft prevention and recovery services offered by Absolute LoJack.
Take a moment and think about all of the information and apps that are on your smartphone. How easy would it be for a thief to use your phone to access things like your email account, passwords, banking information or your Paypal account? Far beyond losing treasured pictures captured with our smartphones, having your phone stolen could result in financial disaster and identity theft.
What would you do if your smartphone was stolen? How would you find your smartphone? Here are some tips to help you protect your device:
Absolute LoJack Uncovered
As I mentioned earlier, Absolute LoJack is an industry leader in smartphone tracking software. However, they do things a little different than other smartphone, laptop and tablet anti-theft providers. Unlike other security services that only locate missing devices, Absolute LoJack is dedicated to recovering stolen devices and returning them to their rightful owners. Absolute LoJack has a highly skilled Investigations Team made up of former law enforcement professionals with extensive training in computer forensics and cyber crime. Their expertise will ensure your device gets back into the right hands.
With Absolute LoJack you can locate your device using GPS, Wi-Fi or IP geolocation. You can also prevent identity theft with data protection software which allows you remotely locking your device so no one can access your data. If that’s not enough, activating the delete feature permanently erases files protecting your personal information and preventing identity theft. Lastly, the Absolute LoJack investigative team will work to recover your stolen device.
Don’t take matters into your own hands.
I know it’s human nature to want to go after a thief ourselves, but after learning more about Absoloute LoJack I realize it’s not a good idea. I had a chance last week to hop on a conference call with the regional director of the investigations and recovery division for Absolute Software. One of the things he touched on is taking matters into your own hands. Here’s a bit of what he said:
“As far as the vigilantism, I have to be honest. Having been a police officer for 26 years and lived this life, and now, being involved in it from this end for the last seven years, I would not take any of these efforts into my own hands. The victims, our customers, they really need to trust the professionals. Report it to the police, report it to us, and let us jump into action. There are so many ‑‑ I get constant media and Google alerts ‑‑ people getting hurt when they go out.”
Have peace of mind.
I have a lot of travel coming up over the next couple of months, and when I travel I spend a lot of time sitting in airports working with my smartphone, tablet and/or laptop out. I worry about leaving something behind or having one of my devices swiped when I am not looking. There is also that fear of leaving my laptop in hotel rooms. Absolute LoJack for laptops will alleviate some of that worry. Absolute LoJack offers peace of mind by protecting your data in the event of a stolen device. I have a feeling I’ll be a little more relaxed on my upcoming travels.
Exclusive Offer for My Readers: Get 30% Off a One-Year Absolute LoJack Standard or Premium Subscription. Just use the promo code UNCOVER30 at checkout. This offer is valid through August 31, 2014. You don’t want to miss out on this savings!
For crime prevention info and tips, be sure to follow hashtag #AbsoluteUncovered on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
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My cell phone is usually attached to me, but you just never know. It’s scary.
Wow! That’s a lot of cell phone thefts!!
Lo-Jack is one of the best ways to protect your vehicle. I am happy to hear that they have branched out into the small electronics as well.
these are some surprising facts…. Just scary! that is a lot of theft!
It’s the information on there that is the most worrisome in case of theft. This really does bring peace of mind.
My husband’s cell phone was stolen last year, and we never did recover it. It was slipped right out of his pocket while we were at a store. Scary.
That is one of my worst fears. I am always checking for my phone to make sure no one has snatched it.
It’s scary to think how many people out there would take a phone and use it to steal your info and hurt you, instead of trying to return it. So sad.
This is great – I didn’t know lojack had coverage for cell phones or computers! Definitely checking it out!
Definitely scary. I always keep mine on me as well, but it only takes one time leaving it unattended. Crime is a definitely about opportunity.
We have been fortunate not to have one stolen yet but know when my kids start getting one the chances will be increased significantly