Theft of iPhones is a major problem.  As long ago as 2014 the FCC indicated that a million iPhones were stolen annually in the United States and there is no reason to believe that the number hasn’t gone up even further since then.  The reason for iPhone theft is twofold.  First, the phone itself can be sold on the black market for a signficant profit and, perhaps even more troubling, your phone, if not properly protected, can provide information that can lead to identity theft including accessing your bank accounts.

TIPS

So what should you do to protect yourself?

You should consider using Apple’s Device Protection which will protect the security of your phone when it is away from home or work.  To turn on Stolen Device Protection, you must use two-factor authentication for your Apple Account and set up or enable the following on your iPhone: a device passcode; Face ID or Touch ID; and Significant Locations* (Location Services).  This will protect you even if the thief knows your passcode.

Use a strong passcode.   Avoid simple passcodes like “1234” or “abcd”. Consider using Face ID or Touch ID for added security.

Turn off Wallet Access when locked. This will prevent a thief from being able to access to payment cards, concert tickets or sport event tickets stored in your Apple Wallet.  To do this go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, toggle off “Wallet” under “Allow Access When Locked”.

Finally, and of great importance, don’t store unencrypted passwords on your phone and turn off autologin/autofill by going to Settings s > Passwords > Autofill Passwords, toggle off the autofill option.

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