Traveling Soon? 5 Simple Ways I Thwart Phone Thieves - And You Can Too

12 hours ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Phone theft is connected nan rise.
There are ways you tin protect yourself.
We besides screen what to do if you're a victim.

My woman and I for illustration to recreation passim nan year. We sometimes task to unfamiliar aliases offbeat places, some successful nan US and abroad. Naturally, we bring on our smartphones to threat photos and videos, get recreation directions, and hunt for accusation connected section attractions.

But our phones tin besides beryllium tempting targets for thieves lurking nearby. That's particularly existent if we're focused connected taking a photograph aliases pursuing stepping directions and aren't paying attraction to nan group astir us.

Also: The 7 gadgets I ne'er recreation without (and why they make specified a large difference)

The FCC said successful June that smartphones are valuable to thieves owed to their precocious resale worth and nan lucrative individual accusation they contain. Phone theft has been connected nan rise, particularly successful celebrated cities specified arsenic New York, London, and Rio de Janeiro, according to a 2025 report from nan mobile manufacture group GSMA.

The Guardian reported successful June 2025 that 80,000 phones were stolen successful London successful 2024, up a 4th from 64,000 successful 2023. This past July, constabulary successful Rio de Janeiro launched a typical cognition successful which they arrested 53 telephone thieves and recovered 453 stolen phones successful conscionable 1 day, said nan Rio Times.

If you're ever successful a susceptible business erstwhile traveling, location are ways you tin protect your telephone from being pilfered by a adjacent thief. Here are a fewer of nan measures I return and really you tin usage them to safeguard your telephone arsenic well.

1. Connect your telephone to a beardown lanyard

Holding my telephone loosely successful my hands tin beryllium an unfastened invitation for a accelerated and sly thief to snatch it. To amended unafraid my phone, I connect it to a strong lanyard that hangs astir my neck. These typically activity by inserting a mini integrative tab betwixt your telephone and your case. The tab has a hook that past connects to different hook connected nan lanyard. But immoderate lanyards are amended than others, truthful you don't want to skimp here.

Also: Why I recreation pinch 3 different portable powerfulness stations (and can't get retired of nan habit)

My woman and I some usage Icycay lanyards that I purchased from Amazon. These are built pinch high-quality straps and hooks designed to forestall a thief from snapping them. Priced anyplace from $12 to $25, they besides travel successful different designs and colors. Keeping your telephone connected a lanyard besides lets you transportation it hands-free, a use if you don't want to support putting your telephone distant and past taking it retired again.

Keeping your telephone successful a backmost aliases moreover broadside pouch tin beryllium risky, particularly if nan pouch is ample and wrong easy scope of a sneaky pickpocket. For that reason, effort to safeguard your telephone erstwhile you shop it connected your person. I sometimes deterioration pants pinch zippered pockets, truthful I tin support nan telephone much secure. You tin besides hide it successful a zippered overgarment pouch aliases coat. The summertime months are much challenging since we jettison our jackets and athletics short pants. But moreover here, I deterioration short pants pinch buttoned aliases strapped pockets.

Also: If you're a hiker, this is nan lightweight powerfulness slope I urge packing

You tin besides usage a small, zippered pouch to support your telephone hidden away. And if you want to spell nan other mile, see an anti theft sling pack. Designed to clasp mobile phones and different mini items, these wrap astir your waist aliases thorax and are made of durable worldly that can't easy beryllium trim aliases sliced open.

If you ain an Apple Watch, you tin support your iPhone successful your pouch and usage your watch for a big of tasks. I'll often hunt for stepping aliases wide transit directions connected my phone, put it successful my pocket, and past move to my Apple Watch to travel nan directions. I tin besides usage my watch to make and person telephone calls, respond to texts and emails, entree my calendar, and position nan latest upwind forecast. Of course, I still request my telephone to return photos and videos, but different it's safe and unafraid successful my pocket.

This extremity seems for illustration a nary brainer. But really often do you clasp your telephone loosely successful 1 manus arsenic you locomotion about? A sly thief could drawback it aliases sound it from your hand. If you're not actively utilizing nan phone, support it stored distant successful a pouch aliases connected a lanyard.

Also: What happened erstwhile I brought a Coros smartwatch connected a fly-fishing trip

If you are actively utilizing your telephone to return pictures aliases travel directions, grip it pinch some hands and usage your thumbs to power it. Alternatively, clasp it firmly pinch 1 manus wrapped astir nan edges and usage your different manus to activity pinch it. Further, support nan telephone adjacent to your chest, particularly successful crowded areas. The thought is to debar giving crooks an easy and evident target.

The last extremity is nan astir important. Are you ever texting aliases talking connected your telephone and not paying attraction to what's astir you? You're fundamentally announcing to thieves that your telephone is up for grabs.

Always be alert of your surroundings. That's particularly captious successful crowded spots wherever crooks cognize really and erstwhile to make disconnected pinch someone's phone. Remember to ever look astir you. If you're utilizing earbuds, region 1 aliases move disconnected sound cancellation truthful you tin perceive adjacent sounds. The cardinal is to ever beryllium alert and ne'er truthful engrossed successful your telephone that you put yourself and your costly instrumentality astatine risk.

If a thief ever does bargain your mobile phone, location are a fewer measures you tin take.

iPhones and Android devices some connection theft protection options that tin thief you amended unafraid your phone. With his characteristic enabled, thieves will person a overmuch harder clip gaining entree to your phone.
iPhones and Android devices some supply a Find My instrumentality to thief you find a stolen aliases mislaid phone. Make judge this action is enabled moreover erstwhile your telephone is turned off.
Save your phone's IMEI number. If your telephone is ever stolen, your supplier aliases moreover nan constabulary tin usage nan IMEI number to effort to way it down and disable it.
Use a beardown passcode. Beyond protecting your telephone pinch facial aliases fingerprint recognition, usage a beardown and unsocial PIN pinch astatine slightest six digits, preferably eight.
Back up your device. You tin ever switch a stolen telephone pinch a caller one. But you can't switch nan photos, files, aliases different important accusation connected it without a backup.

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