(NAPSI)—There are few things more exciting than taking a vacation. Throughout the year, tens of millions of Americans will hop on planes or jump in cars to leave the stress and pressure of everyday life behind.
While they may head out without a care in the world, many will have their peaceful vacation ruined when they become one of the millions of Americans who lose their phones every year. Regardless of how it happens, phones often get misplaced or stolen, and it can really put a damper on a day…or an entire vacation.
Lost (and Found) in Vietnam
Take Nicole from San Diego. During a recent vacation with her sister in Vietnam, she was on an overnight bus ride when she became a victim of theft. The criminal didn’t target her money or jewelry…he targeted her smartphone.
By the time Nicole realized what had happened, the thief and her phone were long gone. In a foreign country, without her phone, Nicole had to figure out what to do and how, if possible, to retrieve her device.
Fortunately, she’d planned ahead and installed Avast Software’s Anti-Theft app—a tool that gives users the ability to locate, lock and wipe their phones if they are ever lost or stolen. Avast was able to share the phone number from the Vietnamese SIM card that had been placed in her phone, and Nicole and her sister could provide the police with that number. The police called the thief and convinced him to mail the phone to the police station.
Just like that, Nicole recovered her smartphone and continued on with her trip around Vietnam.
Plan Ahead
While traveling is a lot of fun, it doesn’t come without modern challenges. Sure, many people make sure that they have emergency cash and copies of their identification in case they lose their wallets, but planning must go beyond that and extend to personal devices.
Think about the amount of information on a smartphone. Photos, e-mails, text messages, banking apps and more—losing your phone can be more than losing a device, it can be having your identity stolen.
“We know that millions of smartphones are lost or stolen every year, and with them are large amounts of sensitive, personal data,” said Gagan Singh, president of mobile at Avast. “With the amount of priceless information on our devices, from photos to videos to even banking information, users should plan ahead so they have a way to delete the contents if their phones happen to go missing or fall into the wrong hands.”
Tools like Avast’s Anti-Theft app help users locate and recover their lost or stolen mobile devices. Being able to locate, track, lock, wipe and even sound an alarm on the phone, people can rest assured that their personal information can either be recovered or completely erased from their devices.
So don’t let a misplaced mobile phone or theft ruin your well-earned vacation. Prepare for the worst-case scenario, then relax and enjoy your holiday knowing you are covered.
To learn more about Avast Anti-Theft, visit www.avast.com.