If you had handed me an object worth $1,000 twenty years ago, I would have kept it in a safe most of the time. Today, however, I walk around in public with my smartphone in my pocket. It’s not even a secret, and any pickpocket can assume I have something they want.
When I am working outside of the office, I often have electronics worth a couple thousand dollars. This includes my laptop and headphones, in addition to my phone. It is baffling that until recently I rarely thought about keeping them safe.
It helps that my renters insurance policy includes electronics insurance. Still, having to pay the deductibles and go through the hassle of reporting a crime is no one’s idea of fun.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine had his phone stolen from off the restaurant table at which we were eating lunch. The thief barely even required any finesse. My friend made it all too easy for him. The thing is, my phone was as vulnerable and it was down to chance that his was stolen and mine spared.
Since then, I’ve been looking for ways to keep my electronics safe when I’m out in the world. Here are some of the ideas I have found.
Keep your Phone Out of Sight
We all assume that everyone else has a phone with them, whether we can see it or not. But holding your phone in your hand in public shows potential thieves exactly where yours is. They are far more likely to take a chance on grabbing your phone from your hand than trying to get into your pockets.
Pockets are not all that safe, but using a front pocket gives you better security than a back pocket or a slot in your backpack. If you are going to areas with high crime rates, consider whether you need to take your phone with you.
Lock Your Backpack
My laptop is more expensive and more difficult to replace than my phone. Yet somehow I’ve walked around with it on my back for years. Only recently did I put a lock on my backpack that makes it impossible for someone to steal my laptop without taking the entire bag.
It is extremely easy for someone to open an unlocked backpack and pull your laptop out without attracting your attention. You can get to your destination only then to find out you’ve been robbed. It doesn’t feel great to have to lock your own backpack, but you are holding onto a very valuable, portable item.
Use a Tough Pin (or Password)
The reality is that in some cases you cannot protect your devices from being stolen. However, you can proactively protect them from staying stolen. The most important step to take is to use a tough pin on your phone and a strong password on your computer. This way, thieves will not be able to get into your device to disable tracking capabilities.
Of course, they can turn off your device entirely and make it impossible to track, but this denies them the opportunity to try to actually access it. Without your pin or password, it is extremely difficult for them to even erase your device and set it up with a new user. There are ways to get around this but it is not easy, and the best route is to figure out your passcode.
While your device is on, you have the opportunity to use the Find My app to locate it. This also gives you the peace of mind that they are not going to be able to get any information from your device, including where you live and access to your messages.
There are no guaranteed ways to protect your devices in today’s world. We live very differently to how we used to, carrying around thousands of dollars worth of electronics without a second thought. However, it is important to do as much as you can to protect your devices from theft.
Start by making sure you keep your devices as hidden as possible. By using strong passcodes, you can ensure that even if your device is stolen, the thief cannot get any information from it.