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"  More than 3 million cellphones were stolen in the U.S. in 2013, says Consumer Reports. Apple users seem to be prime targets: In New York City, for example, half of the devices stolen were iPhones. The No. 1 rule for preventing a snatch-and-grab theft: Stop zoning out. &amp;quot;Pay attention to your surroundings,&amp;quot; San Francisco police officer Albie Esparza says. Don&amp;#039;t let strangers borrow your device, and don&amp;#039;t leave it sitting on a table. Jamie Hastings, a vice president at CTIA, a wireless-industry group, also urges smartphone users to download apps or turn on settings that track a device&amp;#039;s location, such as iPhone&amp;#039;s Find My iPhone feature. And back up your data regularly. Too little too late? Report the theft immediately to both the police and your wireless carrier, and start tracking your phone&amp;#039;s location on a tablet or laptop. Esparza says his department has made arrests within several minutes after a robbery when people have activated these applications. But he cautions crime victims not to join the growing number of smartphone vigilantes who go after thieves on their own. &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t get hurt over property that can be replaced,&amp;quot; he says. &amp;quot;You don&amp;#039;t know if the thieves have weapons.&amp;quot; If there&amp;#039;s little to no chance of recovering your gadget, it&amp;#039;s time to employ the remote erase-and-wipe feature, Hastings says. Most operating systems\u2014iOS, Android, Windows Phone\u2014allow you to reset your phone remotely, clearing it of valuable information. Reset all passwords stored on the device, for everything from the app store to your bank accounts. And next time, take better care. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/security/how-to/a10902/what-to-do-when-your-smartphone-gets-stolen-17008916/>