How to Protect Your Smartphone from Identity Thieves

Losing a smartphone, or having it stolen is sometimes as bad as having a wallet or purse lost or stolen. 

Nowadays, many smartphone users store a good amount of personal information on their phones. If their phones got into the wrong hands, it could potentially be devastating. There are many ways to help prevent becoming a victim of a lost or stolen smartphone. Below are three quick tips. 

1. Set your phone to require a password or passcode each time it is turned on. For more information on how to do so, visit your phone manufacturers' website (i.e., for iPhones, visit www.apple.com/). 

2. Never leave your phone unattended. For example, placing your phone on a table at a fastfood restaurant or coffee shop to reserve the table; then walking away and standing in line. If you must leave your phone, or any other valuable property, make sure to LOCK IT, HIDE IT, or KEEP IT, to prevent its theft. 

3. Use a locator app and/or smartwatch in case you lose your phone. For Apple iPhones, use the app "Find my iPhone." For Samsung Galaxy smartphones, visit http://findmymobile.samsung.com/login.do. For all other makes and models, visit your manufacturer and/or wireless carrier's website. Smartwatches such as the Pebble work with both Android and iPhones, and can emit an audible beep to a lost phone; however, they are connected via bluetooth, so the maximum effective range is approximately 30 feet.

A press release from the Los Angeles Police Department