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Statistics show that around 88% of us don’t leave home without our mobile phones. Reliance on these incredibly popular and useful devices means that losing one can result in some serious headaches.

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. More than 2 million mobile phones are stolen in the United Kingdom every year. This equates to around one every 12 seconds and this figure is on the increase.

If a mobile phone is lost there is the initial financial headache of replacement. But there may also be phone bills accrued by a thief between the time the phone was stolen and the time it was eventually 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. Although modern phones come with software that makes it simple to transfer data to a computer still people don’t take advantage of this simple facility.

So what steps can be take that will help protect us against loss or theft of our valuable mobile phones?

1. The first thing is to make it difficult for a thief to actually steal your mobile phone. Keep it somewhere secure and don’t ever leave it unattended in the car or anywhere else.
2. 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.
3. You might like to configure your phone to only work after you have entered a PIN. 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.
4. Another simple step is to switch your phone to vibrate mode when in a busy public place in order to ensure that nobody else is alerted when your phone rings.
5. You might like to engrave your name and your car registration details onto your mobile 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 mobile phone as this will help identify the phone if it is lost or stolen.
6. It is worthwhile getting into the habit of backing up your SIM card data frequently. If you are adding new contacts and appointments every day then you should be backing up your mobile phone data every day.
7. 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.

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

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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.