WHEN PHONES GO MOBILE!

Phones now do much more than just make calls. They have become an essential part of our daily lives.

They are computers in our pockets, but very often they are not in our pocket, we are walking and talking on them all the time, would you wander around flashing £500 in notes in your hand - probably not - but we just don't see it like that - theives do!

Phones are one of the most common things to have stolen. Phone thefts account for around half of all street crime according to the National Mobile Phone Crime Unit.

Thieves are opportunists and won’t hesitate to mug you for your mobile, wherever you are. Once the phone is in their hands they can be sold on, used to rack up huge costs to your bills or even worse be used to steal your personal data. There are things you can do to protect your phone and your data.

Phone thefts are common and they follow a pattern. The more you understand them the more you can protect yourself.

Protecting your phone

This is what you should do to protect your phone and help police recover it, if it gets stolen:

Lock it

It may seem obvious but make sure you activate your phone security lock code or PIN feature. You can do this in your phone settings. It will prevent any thief getting access to your telephone numbers, diary or social media accounts. It also means that the thief can't find out where you live.

Bar expensive calls

You can limit the usefulness of your phone to any thief by baring calls to international and premium rate phone numbers. You can usually do this in your phone settings.

Switch on tracker applications - every hardware manufacturer will offer this

Note your phone's details

Each phone has a unique identity number. You can find your IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number by typing * # 0 6 # into your keypad. This is one of the first things police can use to trace a phone's owner when they recover stolen property. Also make a note of your phone number, make, model, colour and appearance details. Keep all these details in a safe place. Register your phone for free on immobilise.com. This is a national database which the Police can access. It will help them identify you as the owner if your phone has been found or recovered from suspected criminals.

What if your phone has been stolen?

If your phone is stolen, report it to your network operator and the Police as soon as possible. It can then be cancelled quickly, in the same way as a stolen credit card.

It is worth checking the terms and conditions of your home or car insurance as you might be covered for theft or any calls that are made on your phone without your knowledge.

If you have a monthly mobile phone contract your network can send you a replacement SIM card.

Who pays for unauthorised calls?

You may be covered for the cost of fraudulent calls made by the thief between the time of you losing your phone and reporting it missing, as long as you report the phone missing within a certain time period – often 24 hours.

Fivebars Customers can have access to our fabulous Insurance cover. Call us to find our more about the all services we offer on 02380 200680