FTC Issues Advice on Mobile Phone Data Security, Identity Theft

Smartphones are small and easy to lose or have stolen, but the Federal Trade Commission doesn't believe that the data within the device has to suffer the same fate and is offering up steps to minimize identity theft.

The FTC, for starters, is pointing victims to IdentityTheft.gov, where reports can be filed to law enforcement agencies and a personalized recovery plan is drafted. But in addition to the site, the FTC is offering some before and after tips to smartphone users and BYOD workers.

Before a mobile device is lost or stolen, two-factor authentication should be turned on, as well as iOS' "Find My Phone" or Android's "Find My Device" feature, the FTC advises. The agency also recommends users create a lock on their phone, which would require at least a six-digit password, fingerprint scan, or pattern lock. One of the key suggestions offered up by the FTC is that users need to remember to back up the data on their phones.

But once a phone is stolen or lost, accounts that can be accessed by the phone and have passwords automatically remembered should undergo a password change and those accounts that are tied to the phone should be disconnected from the lost or stolen device, the FTC says. The Commission also recommends watch for any notifications that a new device has attached itself to your email or accounts. Another step the FTC advises users take is to notify the carrier that the device is lost or stolen and it could temporarily or permanently disable the SIM card.

Read more about the FTC's smartphone steps here.