When you read statistics on mobile theft and realise the high incidence of mobile phone, pocket PC and PDA device thefts that happen every single day, it makes one wary. We live in such an incredibly technological society. We simply cannot function optimally anymore without our mobile devices.

We are connected to the rest of the world with our mobile phones, pocket PCs and PDAs. This also means that we are all incredibly vulnerable to thieves that are forever on the lookout for making a quick buck from your expensive mobile devices.

Be safe and secure

Individuals can do much to safeguard their mobiles such as never being negligent and always making sure that you keep your mobile out of sight when in public. Too many people walk and text or talk, they forget to focus on what is going on around them. Of course, we can sit and preach all day about mobile security and being wise. However, mobile phones especially do get stolen. When that happens your whole world comes to a screeching stop.

Not only have you lost your address book, contacts and all your personal data, some stranger now has access to it all. The answer is mobile antitheft software. At UMU Global we offer our clients StopThief mobile antitheft software. This mobile antitheft software protects your personal data in the event that your mobile is stolen. With this application you have the option to lock your mobile remotely via SMS or whenever the SIM card is changed.

You can go a step further and make sure the thief does not get hold of your personal data by remotely deleting the data on your mobile via SMS. An extra perk is that when the thief changes the SIM card, you will be notified and the current location of the phone is also provided using GPS.

“UMU Fights Mobile Phone Cyber Bullying”

There have been numerous reports produced over the last couple of years about cyber-bullying and threatening behaviour by and to children via their mobile phones (GMTV, 2005; NSPCC, 2008; Cyber Bullying UK, 2009). These are additionally, worrying times for parents when they don’t know where their children are. One of the major concerns presented from an OECD report was security and children. Parents like their children to have a mobile phone so they can check where they are – however, the child’s inability to detect spam SMS and premium rate call numbers is causing increased mobile bills (OECD, 2007). In addition, mobile phone theft is at it’s highest for the younger age groups ‘around a quarter (24%) of victims of mobile phone theft were aged between 10 and 17 and nearly half (46%) were aged between 10 and 24’ (British Crime Survey, 2009).

Text Message Bullying – You can control it

Recent reports suggest children are increasingly victims of cyber bullying through the onset of digital technology and the more frequent usage of mobile phones (bullying.co.uk, 2009). According to a report by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, ‘cyberbullies use their mobile phones or emails to send sexist, homophobic and racist messages, or they attack other kinds of difference such as a physical or mental disability, cultural or religious background, appearance, or socio-economic position’ (dcsf, 2007). Unfortunately, ‘a key aspect of cyberbullying is that the victim has no place to hide from the perpetrator’ (anti-bullyingalliance.org, 2007), and therefore you, or someone you know, thought you were unable to escape the damaging effects of cyber bullying.

If you become aware this is happening, there are steps you can take to block messages and calls received on a mobile phone.

UMU’s SpamSafe is a simple to use application for filtering unwanted messages from both unknown and user specified numbers. The application puts them in a folder on your phone, and if it is necessary to involve the police in the bullying issue, then these are stored as evidence – without causing unnecessary distress.

For further information on how to deal with mobile phone bullying, please see Mobile Phone Bullying by www.bullying.co.uk and http://www.connexions-direct.com.