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Arrgh! Where's My Phone?

Have you ever had the unfortunate experience of having your mobile phone or handheld device stolen ?
Have you ever misplaced or lost your mobile phone ?
Are you worried that something like this could happen to you ?

Well, it has happened to me, when I absentmindedly left my phone on the table of the train seat I had been using during a train journey recently. However, I managed to retrieve my phone (see how further down) and breathed a big sigh of relief as it had lots of things on there that I use in my work everyday (i.e. contacts, emails, SMS message etc), and also family photographs and a video of a birthday celebration that I had not had chance to upload to my laptop at that stage.

You can imagine the panic striken feelings I went through when I first realised that my phone had gone missing, and believe me, you do not ever want to find yourself in that same situation. I can vouch for it, it is not a pleasant experience.

I believe that I am not alone in keeping so much of my life and work on my mobile phone. It is just so handy and useful to have the information at my fingertips as I go about my daily business. It never really crossed my mind what I would do should the phone go missing.

My Mobile Security Software Rescued Me

Getting my phone back was down to a mixture of two things - information and software technology.

Information, in that I had read up on mobile security software products previously, and when I purchased my latest phone decided to invest in some software protection, especially as the relative cost when compared to a new phone was very low. In addition, I couldn't put a price on the contents of my phone.

Software technology in that I purchased and installed a copy of Kaspersky's Mobile Security software, which in addition to securing my phone against internet threats like malware and spam, has excellent anti-theft features.

Kaspersky Mobile Security Anti-Theft features

The Anti-Theft feature of Kaspersky Mobile Security is designed to ensure the protection of data stored on a mobile device against unauthorized access to it in case the device was lost or stolen.

The component includes the following functions:

SMS-Block - allows blocking of the device at the user's discretion.

SMS-Clean - allows you to erase personal data (all contacts, messages, gallery, calendar, log, network connection settings), and data from the storage card and files from folder C:\Data.

SIM-Watch - allows you to send to the specified phone number and/or to an e-mail address, the new phone number and to block the stolen device if the SIM card was replaced or the device was turned on without it.

SMS-Find - allows you to determine the geographical coordinates of the device and to send them to the requesting devices or to a certain e-mail address using an SMS message. This function only works with devices with in-built GPS receiver.

Stealth SMS - allows you to erase personal data from the device, block it and obtain its geographical coordinates using a special SMS message.

Using the SMS-Find feature, I was able to track down and retrieve my mobile phone. How great is that ? You can see how useful this software is, and in my opinion is much better than any mobile phone insurance you could have.

For those of us who have children that use a mobile phone, the Kaspersky Mobile Security software also comes with a Parental Control feature too. This can be used in addition with the SMS-Find feature to keep a caring eye on your young ones. Very useful if they have gone out and are long overdue in returning, and I dare say a multitude of other uses may spring to a parents mind - just great "piece of mind" stuff from Kaspersky.

Don't Leave It Until It Happens To You

When I look back on the incident now, I am forever thankful that I not only took the time to read about mobile security software, but that I purchased it and installed it on my phone. In fact, all the family now have it on their phones too.

I can't describe how much "piece of mind" it gives you to know that there are steps you can take to not only secure your phone should something untoward happen, but to also have the facility to locate it's whereabouts and get it back.

My experience is something I wouldn't wish on anyone, and I encourage you to take the same steps I did and get your mobile phone protected sooner rather than later. As the old saying goes "better to be safe than sorry" - in this instance, never was a truer word spoken!

By: David Grahams

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David Grahams is a qualified Microsoft Systems Engineer specialising in System Security.He writes articles, blogs, ebooks and reviews specialising in Internet Security topics. He also review's and test products that come to market to really see if they are as useful as the manufacturers tell us. Learn About Mobile Security Protection Secure your mobile Protect Your Mobile Today!