Mobile phone thefts cost UK £390m
Mobile phone thefts cost UK £390m
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Tuesday, 16, May 2006 10:39
More than two million mobile phones are stolen every year in the UK, with Britons £390 million out of pocket as a result.
New research from Halifax Home Insurance found that a phone is taken every 12 seconds, with the average claim for a stolen handset at £300.
The insurance provider also revealed that there was a marked increase in the number of instances where phones were forcibly stolen from people talking on the street.
Vicky Emmott, senior research manager at Halifax Home Insurance, advised people with the latest phone models to use their mobiles discretely in public places and to keep conversation times to a minimum.
"Mobile phones are constantly getting lighter and more compact which makes them easier for opportunistic thieves to swipe. Phone users should avoid walking and talking and keep their mobiles out of sight whenever possible," she said.
Of the 37 million mobile phone owners in the UK, those living in Lancaster are at the highest risk of having their handsets stolen, while on average the most expensive phones are being taken in the Essex towns of Romford and Ilford.
Ms Emmott highlighted that owners of the latest mobile phones models should be especially wary, as not only were they a higher risk of theft but also that their users could lose significant amounts of data and additional content.
She added: "New technology means that many of us use phones for more than just calls and text messaging. Mobile owners should make sure that all contact numbers, diary entries, pictures, down-loads and ring-tones are backed-up and saved elsewhere if they don't want to risk losing them completely."
Halifax also warned women that they had a higher chance of falling victim to mobile theft, with the recent British Crime Survey revealing that 7.6 per cent of female phone users have had their mobiles being stolen compared to 6.4 per cent of men.
