How to protect yourself from Phone Theft

According to Money Saving Expert (Martin Lewis), Phone thefts are up 150%

Phones are the new wallet or purse, for many of us, our phone holds much of our life. 78,000 phones are snatched in the UK every year - and not only do victims have to cope without theirs while sorting a replacement, thieves often steal with the aim of gaining access to your personal data and banking apps. So it's crucial to protect yourself as much as you can from the financial impact of both.

Prevention's better than the cure you can lessen your risk and secure your data BEFORE anything happens. MSE have a comprehensive guide: 16 tips to secure your phone to enable you to be less of a target and, if your phone is stolen, it can help make sure it's not easy for thieves to access your personal data. It's worth reading them all, but here's a taster...- Set up phone finder tracking apps. These let you remotely lock or wipe the phone so it's inaccessible. See how to set one up.- Turn off message previews. Or else thieves could see security codes without accessing your phone. Turn previews off.- Set up a hidden folder. Here you can hide sensitive banking apps, protected by biometrics. Set up a hidden folder.- Turn on 'stolen protection'. To lock the phone (or some features) if it detects it's been nicked. See how: Android | Apple.

How to protect yourself from Phone Theft from MSE - last updated 19.02.25