PHILADELPHIA, PA, August 12, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- According to the consumer electronic professionals at
Zero4All, smartphones are among the most precious, portable items that people carry with them these days, nearly as vital and as important as their wallets and car keys. Given this, it ought to come as no surprise that, as the number of smartphone thefts continues to rise, more and more consumers are showing concern; the question is, what can everyday citizens do to prevent their phones from being pilfered? Also, can stolen phones ever be found and recovered?
These are the questions posed by a recent Forbes article, which even goes as far as to declare smartphone theft a "national epidemic." The Zero4All team has responded to the article, and they are surely qualified to do so. The company is a leading online database of consumer electronics, and the Zero4All professionals are nothing if not experts in this field.
Zero4All on the Rise of Smartphone Theft
Just how bad has the problem of smartphone theft become? According to Forbes, the scenario is quite dire. The number of stolen phones in New York City has increased by 40 percent in just one year. One of every two robberies in San Francisco involved a cell phone. And, nationwide stolen smartphones now make up 33 percent of all robberies.
The number of smartphone thefts should not come as any great surprise, the article continues, given how expensive phones can be. While many consumers get them free, or discounted, with their service plans, the reality is that, on the street, a phone can easily bring in $200. In Asian cities, that number can be as high as $2,000.
Continues the Forbes article: "Law enforcement, smart phone manufacturers and wireless providers have joined together to fight what San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon has called 'a national epidemic.' They are making progress. Many wireless providers have established programs that refuse to allow the use of a reactivated, stolen phone on their networks. Also, a number of smart phone manufacturers have taken steps to beef up security."
"Many companies, from Apple to Samsung, are going out of their way to innovate new smartphone recovery and theft prevention technologies," comments Zero4All. "With that said, there remains an urgent need for smartphone owners to exercise caution and vigilance."
The Forbes article offers six specific tips for averting smartphone theft. The first is simply that those who carry or use their phones should remain aware of their surroundings, noting that even a single moment of distraction can result in a stolen phone. "This is especially true for those using their phones in a public or crowded place," says Zero4All. "Setting it down long enough to fumble for your keys, to say nothing of getting up and going to the bathroom, can result in a theft."
The second tip from the article: "Always enable and use the security features on your phone. Of particular importance is the password or PIN locking feature. Try to resist using easily decipherable passwords and make sure they are not universal in your life. Change them frequently."
"Having a tough-to-decipher password may not be as convenient as just using '1111' or '1234,' but that added inconvenience is a small price to pay for easy theft prevention," Zero4All remarks.
The third tip offered in the Forbes report is for smartphone owners to install and enable any app or feature that allows for the tracking or recovery of a phone, or for the easy deletion of all stored information."
Continues the article, "Always transfer personal identifying or sensitive information to an external encrypted device (or mobile hard drive) so you will at least have a copy should your phone be lost or stolen." Zero4All agrees. "Your phone is the absolute worst place to store sensitive or irreplaceable information," the company states.
Still another tip for smartphone owners is to think seriously about investing in insurance. "A smartphone is something that nobody ever thinks to ensure, but if your smartphone is valuable to you, you might really give it some thought," says Zero4All.
The sixth and final tip from Forbes is to know "who and where to call immediately upon discovering that your mobile phone has been lost or stolen and then do so without hesitation if or when necessary. Don't forget to notify the police as well." Zero4All agrees with this assessment. "While you may think it unlikely that your phone will ever be recovered, the reality is that there are tracking measures that the police can take to apprehend the thief."
The company concludes by stating that smartphone theft is unlikely to go away, as phones become more common and also more sophisticated, more valuable, and more costly. "As with any consumer electronic item, burglary is something that should be on everyone's radar," says Zero4All. "This is an especially big problem with phones because, unlike a desktop or even a laptop, your phone is something small, portable, and with you at all times--easy enough to pilfer and sneak away while you are not looking. Don't let this happen to you. Instead, take every necessary step toward protecting yourself from smartphone thieves!"
Zero4All is a leading name in the field of consumer electronics. The company maintains a vast database of consumer electronic products, including name-brand phones; consumers can receive free products from the Zero4All database, simply by offering product reviews.
ABOUT:
Zero4All is a one-of-a-kind program that allows members to access a vast database of manufacturer products and consumer electronics, and then to receive many of those products directly from the manufacturers and totally free of charge. The company works by putting consumers in touch with manufacturers who are legally required to give away sample and "demo" products in order to maintain their corporate tax perks. The site's members can select the product they wish to receive, and then get them for free, simply by agreeing to write brief product reviews. The site's product database includes more than 2,500 items, many of them consumer electronics.
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