Look After Your Mobile Phone with these Seven Simple Steps

Around 88% of people these days don’t even step outside without having their mobile phones with them. Clearly reliance on these devices means that losing one can be a real nightmare.

But mobile phones have become increasingly compact and lightweight and people often misplace them or they fall out of pockets without our knowledge. There are some interesting statistics from 2008 including: around 200,000 mobile phones were put into washing machines, around 600,000 were dropped down toilets and 55,000 were left in the back of taxis.

Then there is the growing risk of theft. In the UK alone more than 2 million mobile phones are stolen each year. This equates to around one every 12 seconds and this figure is on the increase.

When a phone is lost there is, of course, the initial financial headache of getting a new replacement. But there may be some significant call charges arising between the time when the phone was stolen and when it is eventually disabled. There are also the problems that can be caused by losing contact details and other data from the phone.

It has been found that fewer than 1 in 5 people who rely on their mobile phones go to the trouble of routinely backing up their phone data. Although most phones come with software that makes it easy to backup data from the phone to a computer few people take advantage of this.

So what can we each do to protect ourselves and our valuable data against loss or theft?

The first thing to do is not to make it easy for a thief to steal your mobile phone. Never leave your mobile phone unattended in the car and always keep it secure in a closed handback or backpack.
Make certain you record the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number of your phone. This is a unique number associated with every mobile phone that can be used to disable the phone if it has been lost or stolen.
You can set your mobile phone to only operate after a configured PIN has been entered. This can be a bit of a nuisance but it will prevent a thief from running up substantial bills on your account.
Another recommendation is to switch your phone to vibrate mode when in busy public places in order not to attract attention when your phone rings.
You might consider labelling your mobile phone by engraving your name and car registration details onto your phone and its battery. Alternatively there are systems for attaching unique serial number stickers (as provided by trackitback.com) to your mobile phone as this will help identify the phone if it is lost or stolen.
It is worthwhile establishing a backup routine, copying your valuable SIM card data to secure storage location as often as possible. If you are adding new contacts and appointments every day then you should be backing up your mobile phone data every day.
Finally, make certain that you have some mobile phone insurance that provides the protection that you need. Remember that not all mobile phone insurance policies are the same so be certain to read the details and ensure that you get the cover that you want.

By following these steps hopefully you and your phone will not become part of future lost or stolen mobile phone statistics.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You may also like to protect your income with income protection and don’t overlook the need to protect other devices with some useful gadget insurance.