{"id":46340,"date":"2015-11-24T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.mcafee.com\/?p=46340"},"modified":"2025-08-06T23:58:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T06:58:19","slug":"land-of-lost-mobile-phones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mobile-security\/land-of-lost-mobile-phones\/","title":{"rendered":"Land of the Lost Mobile Phones"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever experienced that panicked moment when you realize you can\u2019t find your mobile phone? You check your pockets, your car, your couch cushions, but alas the phone is nowhere to be found. When you finally realize you left it on a park bench, it\u2019s long gone. If this has happened to you, don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

Losing a mobile phone or having it stolen is the modern day version of losing your wallet. It\u2019s something that can easily happen to you and when it does, it\u2019s a mobile misfortune.<\/p>\n

Your phone is your bank, your gym, your calendar, your photo album, and so much more. In fact, we\u2019ve become so dependent on our devices that researchers have introduced the term \u201cnomophobia<\/a>\u201d (or, no-mobile-phone-phobia) to describe the anxiety that comes with not having your phone to complete everyday tasks. With our phone dependency at an all time high, it\u2019s only a matter of time until sensitive information is entered into your device. It may make your life easier, but if your device gets in the wrong hands, what could happen to your data?<\/p>\n

In a recent field experiment held in San Francisco and New York, 10 phones were scattered in both cities with the hopes that those who found them would return them. All of the phones were marked with easy-to-find contact information, but both cities failed the test. Only 4 phones were returned; 2 in each city.<\/p>\n

These days, finding a mobile device is a lot like finding a dollar bill on the ground. Someone picks it up, they look around for the owner, but seeing no one in the general vicinity, they pocket it. Except unlike a dollar bill, smart phones can be tracked, which is exactly what the study did.<\/p>\n

Using proprietary technology, each phone was tracked for five months, even though the phone had been wiped clean by the thief or the second-hand buyer to whom it was sold. The phones went on adventures that would have made even Lewis and Clark envious. One device even ventured as far as Mumbai, India.<\/p>\n

Security Measures<\/h2>\n

So if you lose your phone, it\u2019s likely you\u2019re saying \u2018sayonara\u2019 to not only an expensive device, but also to your data. While most are wiped clean, it\u2019s important to add security measures before losing your phone, because you never know who will find it and what information might be stolen.<\/p>\n