Anyone can be behind you. Playing with your phone while wearing earplugs is bad idea, especially while walking alone either day or night. (Luis Gomez Photos)

We’ve told you before… many… many… times. Don’t be stupid with your Smartphone. In other words, don’t walk down the street – especially a quiet one by yourself – in the late hours yakking away on your phone, unaware of your surroundings. Expensive phones – and they’re really just small computers with a phone attached – are much desired by thieves and robbers. (Read An Interview with “Mugged.)

Five Smartphone Tips from Police

Lately the MPD has been reporting more thefts than usual of Smartphones – iPhones and Droids – by robbers. Here are safety tips for your phone, and you, from MPD.

1. Thieves have been targeting expensive Smartphones (like iPhones and Droids) for a quick sell. These items are most often taken in a snatch-and-grab robbery, while unsuspecting victims are walking (most times, distracted) or riding a bus or train. When we recommend that you stay alert and aware of your surroundings, this means, keeping your head up, checking for suspicious people or suspicious behavior.
2. Don’t stand next to Metro Transit doors with items in hand, making it easy for someone to grab them and flee the train or bus.
3. Avoid walking and talking on the phone at the same time. It serves as a major distraction and makes you vulnerable to robbery.
4. If you are leaving a store and think you have been observed making an electronic purchase, focus on securing your item (maybe underneath a coat or jacket) and getting to your destination as quickly as possible.
5. Marking the back of your phone (or inside battery cover) with your name and alternate phone number in ultraviolet ink can help MPD locate you in the event your phone is recovered.

Securing Your Data

These articles deal with securing your personal data if your phone is lost or stolen.

• iPhone/iPad Users: Protect Your Privacy with Remote Wipe (Apple.com)
• Droid Users: PC World Examines two Droid Apps to Protect Your Phone: Mobil Defense App and  WaveSecure (PCWorld.com)