Man who has phone snatched and over $26,000 stolen issues urgent warning to others - activate these settings to protect your data

A man who had his phone stolen followed by over $26,000 has issued an urgent warning to others.

The Brit is now advising people to activate these specific settings on your phone to protect your data.

Niall McNamee had his phone snatched from his grip while using the London underground tube.

A man had his phone stolen along with thousands drained from his bank account (sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images)

Days later, the thieves stole £21,000 ($26,680) from his bank account and even took out a loan in his name worth £7,000 ($8,890).

Speaking to the BBC, McNamee said: “It used to be people stole a phone so they could sell on a phone.

Now it seems they are stealing phones so they can get into all of your data and take money.”

And the issue isn’t isolated to the UK, over in the US, 1.4 million phones were reported stolen in 2023 alone.

The issue has given tech firms a push to bring in measures to protect your phone.

These features that have been introduced by the likes of Apple and Google are specifically designed as theft protection.

How can you protect your phone against theft?

For iPhone users, a new feature was introduced with iOS 17.3.

By using Touch or Face ID in order to access stored passwords and card details, you’ll be able to halt any criminals from viewing this information.

They may be able to change this within the phone though, which is why the second tool is vital.

It’s a security delay meaning that anyone trying to change a password on your Apple account will need to wait an hour before they can do so.

Hopefully, this will give you enough time to mark the phone as lost through Find My iPhone.

The man has issued an urgent warning for others to protect their data (Witthaya Prasongsin/Getty Images)

On the Apple support page, it reads: “Stolen Device Protection adds a layer of security when your iPhone is away from familiar locations, such as your home or workplace, and helps protect your accounts and personal information in case your iPhone is ever stolen.”

To turn on this feature, you’ll need to go to your phone settings followed by Face ID & Passcode.

From there, you’ll be prompted to enter your device’s password.

Tap on Stolen Device Protection and you’ll be able to switch the feature on and off.

If you’re a Google user, your anti theft protection will be slightly different.

First of all, Google’s Theft Detection Lock uses your phone’s motion sensors to detect if your device has been snatched from you.

Once activated, it’ll automatically lock the screen, protecting your banking information.

To turn on the feature, go to settings and tap Google followed by All Services.

From there, you can select Theft Protection and will have the option to switch on Theft Detection Lock.