As August draws to a close, so does Device Theft Awareness Month with Absolute LoJack Uncovered. I feel like I have learned so much throughout this month and have a much better handle on what to do if something like this ever happens to me! I hope you feel the same way. Today’s blog post is my last one on the subject, and a bit of a wrap up and refresher of the most important information to take with you into the rest of your lives.
Device theft can happen anywhere, at any time — but here’s a list of the top places you should really make sure you’re on your guard:
1. Bus or subway stations. Especially at peak hours and when transit is in the process of leaving or arriving.
2. Restaurants, especially near exits. Don’t leave your purse hanging behind you on the back of your chair!
3. Concerts, bars and clubs. People are in extremely close proximity and there’s typically little to no storage options for your purses or jackets.
4. Offices, when many people feel secure enough to leave their phones on their desks while running to the bathroom or on an errand.
5. Stores or gas stations, where people often are juggling many items at once and may leave their phone in a cart or on a counter for a moment.
It’s a little depressing having to worry about keeping our devices safe at all times, but what I’m finding is that just a few little steps here and there can help stop these types of robberies before they even start. Keeping your phone tucked away at certain times might make a potential criminal overlook you as a victim, because you haven’t made it easy for them.
The biggest change I am making in this regard is to start packing a book again when I take public transit. Most thieves aren’t going to steal a book, and if you have that out instead of your phone, you might have just significantly decreased your likelihood of being a target. Sure I sometimes miss playing Dragonvale on the bus, but I’d much rather lose a bit of gaming time in exchange for knowing my phone is safe. Because if your phone is stolen, think about everything else you’ll be missing.
At the end of the day, device theft is a real threat and it’s growing all the time. It was one of the top 10 complaints with the FTC for the 13th consecutive year and had an increase of 32% in complaints back in 2012. Here’s a sobering statistic: in 2012, about 16.6 million people (which is 7% of all U.S. residents age 16 or older) reported being victims of one or more cases of identity theft. People age 20-29 are the most affected by this, so be aware.
You don’t have to live in fear – just live slightly more carefully. Live knowing your information is safe, because you took the necessary precautions way ahead of time. It’s actually a really freeing thought, especially if your phone/laptop are such integral parts of your job, like mine is. đ
I want to help you protect yourself and your smartphone! If youâre interested in Absolute LoJack, readers of my blog can get 30% a 1 year standard or premium subscription by using the code âUNCOVER30âł at checkout. This offer is valid through August 31.
Also! They’re offering a pretty sweet sweepstakes in exchange for putting up with us blathering on about device theft all month. If you sign up for a 30-day free trial & enter the Absolute Software Laptop Lifeline Sweepstakes 2014, you could win a large cash prize & other great stuff!
Simply visit https://www.laptoplifeline.com/ and enter a valid email address to receive a one month trial code of Absolute LoJack. Follow the instructions to activate and you are entered into the sweepstakes! There is no purchase necessary.
There will be three winners! There will be a grand prize, one first place prize and one second place prize â all with different prize packages. Each winner will be randomly drawn by Absolute LoJack on 9/15.  Eligibility: legal residents of the United States and Canada, excluding Quebec, age 18 or older as of August 18, 2014. The sweepstakes runs through September 12, 2014, see the official rules here.Â
Disclosure: This product has been gifted to me, however all opinions expressed in my review are my own.