Survey Shows Mobile Devices Often Lost During Holiday Travel

The holidays are times when people frequently lose their mobile devices such as cellular phones and laptops. A survey made by AVG in 10 countries showed that 17 per cent of laptop owners and 39 per cent of mobile phone owners have lost their gadgets while traveling during the holidays or these items were stolen.

AVG, the distributor of anti-virus and Internet security products in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, disclosed that 88 per cent of the lost or stolen devices are not recovered.

Some devices are lost or stolen at home. In Australia, the rate of laptop loss is 19 per cent and mobile phone loss is 34 per cent. In New Zealand, laptop lost at home is 13 per cent and cell phone 29 per cent.

The survey, which had 5,620 respondents from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Italy, advised gadget owners to take more precaution to prevent the loss or theft of their devices.

"You don't want a missing smartphone or tablet to impact on the enjoyment of your holiday. Especially because those devices hold a wealth of valuable finance, travel and other sensitive personal information, it is vital that as a matter of routine, you are alert to their security," AVG Security Advisor Michael McKinnon said in a statement.

To prevent the loss of laptops and cellphones, Mr McKinnon suggested that owner carry their devices in a place they can easily check, use a password to prevent access to data and to backup content.

He also suggested the use of security software such as AVG Mobilisation which features a phone locator and uses Google Maps to identify the device's location when lost or stolen. Mr McKinnon also recommended the use of a remote lock and wiping of missing phones to protect personal information as well as the creation of a customised lock-screen message with contract details to facilitate its return.