Categories: Apple iPhoneApple iPod

Avoid Having Your iPod or iPhone Stolen

Our smartphones and other devices are valuable targets for theft Not only are they valuable items that can be sold for money, but they hold private information that could lead to identity and financial theft as well. Here are some common-sense steps you can take to prevent your devices from being stolen.

Obviously, the more expensive the item, the more likely it is to be stolen. Thefts, muggings, and other violence related reports are increasing by the day. People using an iPod or iPhone are usually less aware of their surroundings, since they are typically listening to music, texting or talking to friends. This inattention makes them a prime target to theft.

If you want to prevent iPhone theft, or not make yourself look like less of a target for mugging, operate with common sense. Don’t leave your precious device unattended and always keep it close to you. Never leave it exposed in your car if you go shopping (many people just forget to take their iPhone and leave it in an open place on the seat). Remember, an iPod is an expensive and sought-after product, so treat it as such!

You can also prevent thefts by keeping your iPod or iPhone close to your body and in a harder to reach area. It’s much more difficult to steal something that’s in an inside jacket pocket than in an outside pocket of a purse. You can even clip your iPod to part of your bag or directly to your clothing.

The white ear-buds that come with iPods are well-known indicators to any thief that the headphone cord snaking into your bag is connected to an Apple device. The white ear-buds are also a good signal to them that you’re distracted by listening to music. To throw the thieves off, you can get a different set of headphones to wear.

Belt clips are great for wearing your iPod in safe spaces, but they’re very unreliable for keeping your device safe in public. Since it is easy to pull the iPod off a belt clip, you should keep the clips at home.

Keep in mind than when you’re listening to your iPod, you probably won’t be able to hear all of what’s going on around you. This puts you at a disadvantage to thieves. So, to avoid the theft, keep your volume low and be more alert and aware of your surroundings.

These tips may seem simple, but if you follow them, you and your device will be much safer.

But what can you do if you discover that your device has been stolen? There are some important steps you should take as soon as possible. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll get your treasure back, these steps will at least help prevent identity theft as well as financial fraud.

Change your Passwords in order to block the thief from gaining access to all those accounts whose passwords may be saved on your iPhone. Changing email account passwords will prevent the thief from sending messages from your phone to your friends. Changing online banking, iTunes, and other account passwords will prevent identity or financial theft.
File a police report. This may or may not directly lead to the recovery of your phone, but it might help. If you can get data about the location of your cell phone, having a police report on file may be necessary for getting the police to help you recover it.
Track the phone using the iPhone’s built-in GPS. There are a few ways to track a stolen iPhone. Apple’s free Find My iPhone service and many third-party apps from the App Store will help you locate the cell phone geographically. Getting this data can be crucial for recovering it.
Call your cell phone company. Some cell phone company representatives might help you immediately, while others might require a police report first. The cell phone company can suspend or cancel the account tied to the phone, which will help ensure that you’re not stuck paying for charges incurred by the thief. Make sure you try tracking the phone first though, since cancelled service could make tracking it impossible.
You may want to delete the stolen phone’s data. You can do this over the web using iCloud or some of the other tracking apps. This action won’t prevent the thief from using your iPhone, but at least he won’t have access to your personal data.
If your phone’s definitely gone, you should notify the people in your address book and email accounts of the theft. You’ll want people to know that it’s not you that’s sending them troublemaking emails, if they were to get any bizarre messages.