Hi All – a useful article in FT from Claer Barrett. Here link for those who can get through pay fire wall What I wish I’d known before my smartphone was snatched https://on.ft.com/3Uvht4w , but here are some quotes and a paraphrasing of advice from it and comments section, given how prevalent phone theft is in London as we see from the frequent posts here.
“Police are dealing with the highest level of “theft from the person” offences recorded in two decades, according to the latest official figures for England and Wales.”
“London is the epicentre for phone theft. Many people never report this crime, but based on Metropolitan Police data from those who have, a phone is stolen every 10 minutes in the city. There was a 33 per cent increase in reported mobile phone theft from the person in the year to January 2024, and over one-third of offences took place in Westminster.”
“Women are only marginally more likely to be victims of phone theft according to ONS crime survey and police data. However, the data does not drill down into the different methods criminals use, and many crimes of this nature go unreported.”
“Sales thinks large increases in the past year have occurred as more gangs realise phone theft is a “lucrative revenue stream”. As he says, it requires less effort and violence than drug dealing, with a lower likelihood of getting caught, and lower penalties if you do. The amount of money gangs can make is potentially much higher — especially if they can use your phone to crack your digital life open.”
Paraphrasing….
How do you reduce financial loss/risk of money? Improve your cyber hygiene..
* Make sure you have set security features on your phone – they don’t come with highest security set as default. Eg – enable stolen device protection setting, reducing time before screen locks, need for (preferably different) screen PIN to change some settings. Check advice for your phone from manufacturer on advanced security settings as phones differ. Minimise what can be accessed when screen is locked.
* Try not to use your PIN visibly where you may be watched/recorded on CCTV
* Don’t use same PIN across multiple apps/your phone
* Don’t store multiple cards in your phone wallet
* Likewise, consider if you need ALL your financial apps on your phone – can some be left on tablet at home that never leaves house?
* Consider Face ID for some apps, or use longer passwords/PINs
* If you do have your phone stolen manage to lock/disable your account, and get a new phone, then be VERY careful about subsequent phishing and call attempts to get access to your cloud accounts which may sound very convincing as they know more of your data, where you shop/ bank etc
* EDIT – this no longer works^ iPhone – set up automation via shortcut app that will make it Lock Screen when settings are opened: https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/automatically-lock-iphone-app-opened/#
by Tawny_haired_one
13 comments
Just tried to do the last one, couldn’t find it, and went through the Mac rumours thread. And Apple have removed the Lock screen shortcut, so can’t do that anymore!
Although they have added stolen device protection, so that can be turned on instead!
I have an old iphone for banking apps and anything linked to my passwords and stuff like that. That does not leave home.
Got something else, old motorola with lineageos and no google, loaded up with music and navigation that I carry around and do not have to worry about. Not even a lock password on it.
Housemate come back home the other day, really shaken, pick-pocketed from iphone 15 max on the train. She realised she does not have it when was time to tap out.
She spent many hours dealing with bank, special app she had for work, and who knows what else.
O2 provider stolen phone line was closed, only opens 8am-8pm, no luck calling them after hours.
Plus £££ for a new one next day.
OK this is a bit unusual but I only do anything security related at home on my laptop, eg online shopping, email, banking etc.
I have one phone which is used only for calls and text, and a second phone used as a mini mobile computer used for music and web browsing etc. And obviously no mobile payment apps.
Good advice OP.
Another one would be, try not to use your phone while walking if it‘s not necessary
Most importantly do not walk with your phone on your hand!! I ride every day in central and the City and the amount of people that cross the road without looking because they’re glued to their phone is ridiculous
The amount of people who I see on their phones, totally oblivious to whats going on around them
The fact this information is so useful shows the massive problem London currently has with crime.
All of that is good advice but doesn’t stoop anyone from snatching your phone.
Don’t be a knob and put your phone out when walking. Calls via headphones. Messages indoors.
If you do need to use your phone in public, hold it in a claw grip where your fingers are wrapped around the top part of your phone.
The reason why phone snatching is so easy is because they just grab the top part of your phone and it slides out of your hand as they ride past you.
Happens only to oblivious and ignorant people. Some learn the hard way.
So, I just go off to double check my iPhone just now – have I done all the right stolen device protection steps. “Touch ID and passcode” is where I have to go, and it is in settings. Except for me it is not there at all. This very short video shows how to put it back – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TuhO6ehQ7o. Not sure why apple would take an item out of settings instead of leave it there but tell the user what to do to renable it in words or pics or sent someone off a web page to read more. Users encountering a missing icon in settings will cost more GeniusBar time for apple than helping the user self help. Really, there should be a single high-up setting called “stolen device protection” that is very informative about all the settings that could be changed in one go, and what level (of sorts) you are at already.
If using your phone on the pavement, face towards a shop or building so it’s harder for them to grab your phone.
I never really thought about the apps one, just moved my main bank account to my iPad and removed it from my phone, using monzo there if I need access to moving money around urgently