Auto repair shop is top spot for smartphone theft

                   If you own a smartphone and spend time at your mechanic's shop, eat a lot of pizza or go to church, you're more likely to lose your smartphone.
                   That's what Lookout Security Inc. says, according to the San Francisco-based company's website.
                   Lookout also says 1 billion phones are shipped annually to new owners.
                   And nearby Philadelphia is the number-one city in America where smartphones are left behind or are stolen, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.
                   And you can be at higher risk if you're moving into college or if you use mass transit, like SEPTA, said AAA spokesman Jenny M. Robinson.
                   Phone theft is epidemic.
                  Almost one in three robberies nationwide involves a mobile phone and the Federal Communications Commission is coordinating the formation of a national database system to track stolen cellphones, Robinson adds.
                  And the top 10 places to lose your phone in Philadelphia in descending order are:

• auto repair shop
• pizza place
• church
• apartment building
• office
• restaurant
• drugstore
• supermarket
• salon or barber shop
• doctor's office

               After Philadelphia, research shows the next nine U.S. cities, in order, where more phones are lost or stolen, are :  Seattle, Oakland, Long Beach, Newark, Detroit, Cleveland, Baltimore, New York and Boston.
               Just a few months ago, Robinson said, Drexel students and others were robbed of their smartphones at gunpoint in three University City robberies.
              Phone thefts also have occurred on SEPTA trains and buses.
              Last year, 39 cellphones were lost or stolen monthly throughout SEPTA's system, according to transit police.
              Nationwide, about 113 smartphones go missing every minute, 160,000 a day and 30 millions a year.
              "That iPhone is iCandy to thieves," Robinson says.  "AAA urges everyone to use caution when using them in public.  Don't let the fast fingers of pickpockets get away with your high-tech devices.  Stay alert and pay attention when using them in public."

               How to protect yourself
               AAA recommends the following tips when using public transportation to avoid becoming a victim of cellphone theft :

1. Be alert.
2. Be aware of your surroundings, where people are packed in tight quarters, buses, elevators and escalators.
3. Don't doze off riding mass transit.
4. Carry your phone, or other devices, in your front pocket, if possible.
5. Only carry purses that close tightly and keep them on your lap.
6. Change the color of your earphones.  White or red wires indicate expensive equipment.
7. Don't carry valuables in your backpack.
8. When parking at a transit parking lot, take all valuables with you.  Remove the GPS and holder from the windshield.
9. Keep the volume low on cellphones or put them on vibrate.
10. Avoid using electronic devices on platforms.