Statistics show that around 88% of us don’t leave home without our mobile phones. Reliance on these incredibly popular and useful devices means that losing one can result in some serious headaches.

Increasinglly compact and lightweight mobile phones mean that they are easily lost, misplaced or fall out of pockets. In 2008 around 200,000 mobile phones went into washing machines, around 600,000 were dropped down the loo and 55,000 were left in the back of taxis.

We must also consider the very real possibility that a phone may be stolen. In the UK alone more than 2 million mobile phones are stolen each year. This equates to around one every 12 seconds and this figure is on the increase.

When a phone is lost there is, of course, the initial financial headache of getting a new replacement. But there may be some significant call charges arising between the time when the phone was stolen and when it is eventually disabled. Then there are the problems that will arise as a result of losing contact details and other valuable data stored on the mobile phone.

It has been found that fewer than 1 in 5 people who rely on their mobile phones go to the trouble of routinely backing up their phone data. Although modern phones come with software that makes it simple to transfer data to a computer still people don’t take advantage of this simple facility.

So what can we each do to protect ourselves and our valuable data against loss or theft?

1. The first thing is to make it difficult for a thief to actually steal your mobile phone. Never ever leave your phone unattended in your car and always store it securely.
2. Make certain to record the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number from your mobile phone. This is a unique number associated with every mobile phone that can be used to disable the phone if it has been lost or stolen.
3. You can set your mobile phone to only operate after a configured PIN has been entered. Having to enter a PIN each time you want to use your phone can be a bit of a nuisance but it will prevent a thief from running up significant call charges on your account.
4. Another recommendation is to switch your phone to vibrate mode when in busy public places in order not to attract attention when your phone rings.
5. You might like to engrave your name and your car registration details onto your mobile phone and its battery. Alternatively you might like to use a system for attaching unique serial number stickers to your phone (as provided by trackitback.com) to your phone which will help identify your phone if it is lost or stolen.
6. It is worthwhile establishing a backup routine, copying your valuable SIM card data to secure storage location as often as possible. If you are adding new contacts and appointments every day then you should be backing up your mobile phone data every day.
7. Finally, make certain that you have some mobile phone insurance that provides the protection that you need. Not all mobile phone insurance policies are the same so make certain that the one you choose provides the protection that you need.

Hopefully you and your mobile phone will not become one of the future lost or stolen statistics.

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You may also like to protect your income with income protection and don’t overlook the need to protect other devices with some useful gadget insurance.