Seven Things to do to Look After Your Mobile Phone
Statistics tell us that around 88% or people don’t leave home these days without their mobile phones. Clearly reliance on these devices means that losing one can be a real nightmare.
As mobile phones have become increasingly small and lightweight they’ve become easier to lose, drop or misplace. 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.
We must also consider the very real possibility that a phone may be stolen. 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. There may be significant call charges amassed during the time between when a phone is stolen and when it eventually gets disabled. Then there are the problems that will arise as a result of losing contact details and other valuable data stored on the mobile 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. Even though most modern mobile phones come with software that makes it simple to transfer data from a phones SIM card to a computer relatively few people do this routinely.
So what steps can be take that will help protect us against loss or theft of our valuable mobile phones?
- 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 applied to each and every mobile phone that can be used to disable the mobile phone in the event that it is lost or stolen.
- You can set your mobile phone to only operate after a configured PIN has been entered. Having to enter a PIN each time you want to use your phone can be a bit of a nuisance but it will prevent a thief from running up significant call charges on your account.
- Another simple suggestion is to switch your phone to silent alert or vibrate mode when in busy public places so that no one is alerted if your phone rings.
- You may like to engrave your name and maybe your car registration details onto your phone and its battery. Alternatively you might like to use a system for attaching unique serial number stickers to your phone (as provided by trackitback.com) to your phone which will help identify your phone if it is lost or stolen.
- Get into the habit of backing up your SIM card data 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. Not all mobile phone insurance policies are the same so make certain that the one you choose provides the protection that you need.
Hopefully, by following these simple steps you will avoid becoming one of the 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.
Comments
Leave a Reply