Cellphone theft is on the rise, and so should our situational awareness when it comes to using and storing a cellphone while in public spaces. Join us for this three-part series, released consecutively over the next few editions of The Prospector, with support from the Provost Marshal Office aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, California, Joe Baca, physical security specialist and Robert Johnson, services chief.
A recent data breach at National Public Data, one of the largest background check companies, compromised over 2 billion personal records reports. As a result, Americans were made increasingly aware of security measures to protect themselves online or from identity theft and fraud. But what about when a thief takes your cellphone, whether they snatched it from your hands on the streets or took advantage of a crowded space to swipe it from nearby?
“Anyone with a cellphone is a likely target, thieves will choose to victimize persons who appear to be distracted or oblivious to their surroundings,” said Johnson.
“Teenagers are extremely vulnerable, they are constantly on their phone, texting or playing games using social media. Their heads are always down, fixated on the screen and not paying attention to what’s going on around them,” said Baca.
The first cellphone became available for public purchase in 1984 and the first iPhone was released by Apple in 2007, which was one of the first cellphones with a full touchscreen and phone features that were accessed through applications (colloquially shortened to “apps”). Since then, the technology of these types of cellphones, or smartphones, has only increased, allowing the usability to be comparable to a low-end computer or laptop. Now, almost everything is accessible through a smartphone using the browser or apps.
According to a report by ConsumerAffairs, in 2022, 97% of Americans have a smartphone, which is approximately 330.8 million people. ConsumerAffairs predicts that American smartphone owners will increase to more than 364 million by 2040.
“Having a cellphone will always have risks, all of your personal information is stored inside, names, phone numbers, addresses, passwords and it is all readily available,” said Baca.
“Cellphones are a vital part of our lives, most people can’t remember a time when they didn’t own one. We store everything inside them in a convenient one-stop shop for a thief,” said Johnson. “Because cellphones have become essentially an extension of ourselves, we tend to overlook them as a security concern. Think about when you go out to eat or go for coffee, where do you leave your phone on the table? Is it in between you and the edge of the table or do you put it somewhere a thief would have to reach across you or between you and someone else to grab it?”
In some cases, the stolen cellphones are resold, resulting in awkward or even compromising scenarios for the unwitting buyer and potential threats to the victim of the theft. Earlier this summer, after multiple cellphone thefts occurred at a bar in Los Angeles, one victim, a news producer from LA’s Fox 11 news station, started to receive threatening messages to his new phone. The victim had remotely deactivated the stolen phone, allowing him to keep his original phone number, so the thieves sent threats in an attempt to scare him into releasing the number, likely so the stolen phone could be reused or sold. The stolen phone ultimately ended up in China, as reported by Fox 11.
While the theft of cellphones could occur at any time, in any place, some of the more common places for the theft is in restaurants and bars, during festivals or concerts and out of locked vehicles.
Take this article as a friendly reminder to double-check the security of your phone, sign out of money transfer apps, adjust the timeout of your phone’s screen and secure or remove what is accessible from the lockscreen (such as Google Wallet or Apple Wallet). If you haven’t already, also update security for signing into apps and making purchases or sending money.
“Times have changed. Pay attention, so you don’t suffer a loss which could lead to irreparable financial and psychological damage,” said Baca.
The next edition of The Prospector will include the next installment of this Crime Prevention series, which will delve into common scenarios of cellphone theft and how to improve situational awareness.
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2024 10:14 |
| Story ID: | 481270 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Crime Prevention: Cellphone Theft, by Vanessa Schell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
