So, just how crazy would you get if someone stole your smartphone? Apparently there are quite a few mobile maniacs out there that would be willing to potentially risk their lives to get their beloved device back.
According to a recent study, most people claim they would be willing to put themselves in "some amount" of danger in order to retrieve a stolen smartphone.
The report, conducted by mobile security company Lookout, claims that 68 percent of those polled said they would be willing to take matters into their own hands in an effort to recover a stolen smartphone. With new security/location-based features like Apple's "Find My Phone," that can track a phone that's been lost or stolen, many victims of smartphone theft are now going after the perpetrators. In many cases this is leading to confrontations with the thieves.
In a recent confrontation a 26-year-old California girl actually got her iPhone back using the aforementioned Apple app by confronting the thieves...right at their doorstep.
While that rather brazen act worked out in the victim's favor, police are warning the public that this isn't the smartest way to go about getting a stolen smartphone back.
"This is a new phenomenon - it's not simply running after the person to grab the phone," said George Gascón, the San Francisco district attorney and a former police chief. "It opens up the opportunity for people to take the law into their own hands, and they can get themselves into really deep water if they go to a location where they shouldn't go. Some have been successful but others have gotten hurt."
According to the Lookout study, smartphone theft is on the rise in the U.S. as 1.6 million Americans had their devices stolen in 2012 - that's one in 10, the report shows. The cost of replacements of these smartphones is up to an estimated $30 billion a year.
The study also revealed people are more concerned with the personal data on their phones rather than the devices. The report reveals half of smartphone theft victims would be "likely or extremely likely" to pay $500 to get their phones back and that one in three would pay up to $1,000 to get their phone back.
