“Oh no, where’s my phone?” That has to be one of the scariest questions these days. And we’ve all done it; left our cellphone in a taxi-cab, on the counter at Starbucks or even had our phone-harboring purses stolen right from under our noses.
Ten years ago losing a cellphone was merely an annoyance that meant forking over some cash for a new device and trying to re-enter one’s contacts information. Not fun, but doable. Today, losing a phone can potentially mean losing treasured photos, tampering with work documents, revealing gripping and intense personal information and even identity theft. In an era where mobile devices can do a lot more, there’s a lot more at risk.
In the notion that this trend will continue, some companies have decided to cash in on the carelessness and/or forgetfulness of Americans. YouGetItBack.com is one such company that claims to protect personal information on your device if it becomes lost or falls into the wrong hands. Frank Hannigan, CEO of YouGetItBack, said losing a mobile device is a more profound worry because phones have evolved and are now like carrying around a little computer.
“When you lose a BlackBerry, you’re possibly exposing yourself, your company or clients,” he said. “Losing things is now more of an issue than it ever was before.”
YouGetItBack.com provides a downloadable native application that users can purchase either through retailers or financial services offering extended warrantees, guarantees, etc. The application works as follows: Once downloaded onto the device, owners can set locks. For example, if a BlackBerry is inactive for 15 minutes it can automatically lock; if an unusual call is made, the phone can automatically lock up. Once locked, a YouGetItBack screen appears, guiding finders on how to get the device back to the owner. The lock options are completely personal and can be set up any way a user decides; and the application sits on the phone and does nothing until it’s told, Hannigan said.
“What we have done is basically provide a cordon around the data on [a device] which nobody can get around,” he said. “That makes it virtually impossible to get near data.”
Once a customer realizes their device is lost, they also have the choice of locking the phone manually, by either logging on to YouGetItBack.com, clicking the “Where is it?” link and entering a PIN (personal identification number) or texting the PIN to the lost device from someone else’s mobile phone. The Web site offers some other helpful resources as well, Hannigan said.
“[You can also] open Google Maps and if you have GPS information it will show where the phone is,” he said. “You can see physically where it is.”
Hannigan said YouGetItBack only works with smartphones and doesn’t have great results on Java-enabled devices. Protecting a device with YouGetItBack costs $20 per year.
If a device is lost while the battery’s dead, a low-tech, backup option can be utilized. When purchasing the service users also receive a tag with YouGetItBack contact information that can be placed on the back of the device.
Tag
These tags are the bread and butter for Global Lost and Found, another cellphone locator company. After purchasing Global Lost and Found for a $10 one-time fee, users can place a tag on the device directing anyone who finds the phone how to return the device to its owner. To entice such a reunion, Geoff Nudd, CEO of GLF, said people who return devices are rewarded for their efforts.
“We’ve found the secret to how it works,” Nudd said. “Most devices are found in places like taxis, airports, coffee shops and community establishments and they’re often turned in to a person of authority. If you give them a little incentive and make it easy for them, they’ll do the right thing.”
GLF does not feature any phone-locking or GPS capabilities, but it does provide a global recovery service, which Nudd compared to the Netflix-type return model. Once a finder indicates on the company’s Web site that they’ve found a device, GLF sends a pre-posted box to that person so they can mail the device back to GLF. GLF then returns the phone to the owner. GLF tags can be purchased at retailers including Tiger Direct, CompUSA and Fry’s Electronics.
Both YouGetItBack and GLF provide their services for all electronics, but said cellphones are the most commonly lost item among their customers. Both companies also reported a 75% return rate on lost devices.
Carrier involvement
Most customers who’ve lost a device probably think the best option is to call their provider. The degree of help you receive depends on the carrier.
Mark Siegel, spokesman for AT&T Mobility Inc., said the carrier urges customers to call immediately after losing a phone to prevent fraud.
“We will immediately de-activate it,” Siegel said. “With a couple of keystrokes on the computer, it can’t be used by anyone other than who the account belongs to.”
Emmy Anderson, spokeswoman for Sprint Nextel Corp., said customers can locate lost phones if they’re subscribed to the Sprint Family Locator plan. If so, they simply log on to the account and use the GPS function to pinpoint the device’s location.
“For customers who do not subscribe to Sprint Family Locator, due to privacy restrictions, Sprint cannot use GPS to locate a lost phone,” Anderson said.
The carrier will accommodate law enforcement and locate a device under certain circumstances, Anderson said, and offers an Equipment Replacement program for $4 per month which will provide a replacement phone.
T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless were not available for comment.
