Top 10 UK cities for Mobile Phone Theft in 2008
Research carried out by CPP the life assistance organisation has named Cambridge as the worst city in the UK for mobile phone theft and associated fraud e.g. using a stolen phone to rack up calls at the owners expense.
The top ten worst cities for mobile theft ranked as follows:-
- Cambridge
- Leicester
- London
- Birmingham
- Glasgow
- Sheffield
- Manchester
- Liverpool and Southampton
- Newcastle
- Plymouth
The study also revealed the most likely victims of mobile phone crime are women while 16-24 year olds are the most vulnerable age group with 20% having fallen victim to mobile theft or fraud. This compares to just 7% of respondents over 55.
An interesting statistic to come out of the study was that time of year and time of day can also make a difference to the odds of you being targeted by fraudsters.
Most crimes happen in September and late August and across the board night time was the most likely time to be targeted with 33% being victimised after dark. It is worth noting however that men were more likely to be victimised in the afternoon (37%) and women later on in the evening (34%).
Fraudsters are most likely to target people who are having a good time in pubs, clubs and restaurants, with over a third being targeted in these places – so the key here is to keep your mobile where you can see it at all times.
Detective Superintendent Mick McNally, head of the NMPCU gave the following advice if you lose your phone: “Report the theft of your phone immediately to the police and service provider quoting the 15 digit serial number (IMEI) of the handset which can be provided by the net work provider.
“By registering your phone on a National data base such as www.immobilise.com that police have access to will significantly increases the potential of catching the thief and return of your phone.”
You can also read our article on What to do if your mobile phone is stolen for more tips on keeping your phone safe.
Posted by admin on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
