Android protection from theft and loss. Protecting your iPhone and Android phone from theft
The editors would like to thank Igor Lyashchenko, senior product manager of the anti-theft systems department at SMT-VTs, for his assistance in preparing this material
Minimizing losses at retail enterprises is solved by installing anti-theft systems, which are reliable and unobtrusive security guards. These systems make it possible to provide customers with free access to most goods and at the same time reduce losses from theft by 40-60%.
Self-service and the problem of theft
However, there is also back side: It is easier to commit theft with such a sales organization; in addition, it is stimulated by the availability of goods and the absence of visible barriers. Product theft is a serious problem for retail stores and can lead to a significant reduction in their revenue. In Western stores, losses from theft are estimated at 1-3% of turnover. In Russia, such losses are much higher and, according to some data, sometimes reach 10-12%. If the profitability of a retail store is low, net profit can decrease by 20-25%.
Who steals from stores?
Among shop visitors who engage in theft, two types can be roughly distinguished – “amateurs” and “professionals”. “Amateurs” steal spontaneously, rarely and ineptly, and the impulse for theft is the attractiveness and proximity of beautiful things. The category of “hobbyists” may include people from different social groups by status and income level. Clothing theft is usually carried out by women aged 14 to 40 years. Explaining their unseemly actions, they claim that they earn too little to dress well. For “professionals”, theft is often the main source of income; their goal is profit. Professional thieves can be of any age - teenagers, middle-aged people, and even pensioners engage in thefts.
Both “amateurs” and “professionals” are trying to neutralize the hard sensors attached to the product, which the staff removes with special pullers when paying, and the protective labels placed on the product are torn off.
“Amateurs” sometimes try to hack the sensor, in some cases they leave it untouched. Usually they take several things into the fitting room, put one on themselves, and hang the rest in place and leave. Suits, dresses and other things are stolen this way. “Professionals” prefer special technical means, the most common of which are hard sensor pliers and magnetic pullers.
But there is a way out of the situation: to protect expensive goods, which, as a rule, are most susceptible to theft, there are simultaneously hard sensors and security labels hidden in the goods and invisible to thieves.
Special bags for shoplifting - "booster bags" - are especially popular among professional thieves. These bags are lined with foil, making hard sensors and special labels virtually undetectable. conventional systems protection. Therefore, thieves do not need to waste time and effort getting rid of sensors or neutralizing them. A favorite technique of thieves using such bags is “sweeping” - quickly stealing goods. Without being distracted by protective equipment, they fill their bags in a matter of seconds. In a retail environment, "booster bags" look natural and can accommodate a large number of goods, while thieves leave no traces. There are stories when a security guard or salesman accidentally discovered 17 Armani shirts or 30 bottles of expensive perfume in one “booster bag”. In some cases, foil is worked differently - it is used to make a lining for clothing, under which stolen items are hidden. In any case, with such thefts, stores lose huge sums. Most stores are afraid of publicity and prefer to hide cases of theft so as not to attract other thieves with special bags.
There are some clues to help identify the "booster bag". For example, these bags are heavy. This is because they can use more than 30 layers of foil. If a suspicious person’s bag weighs too much or seems bulky, then this is a reason to examine it more carefully. Spacious jackets can also have a foil lining. Another sign by which thieves can be detected is due to the fact that soft bags lined with foil have the property of retaining deformation, so to check, you can bend its corner - the “booster bag” retains the kink.
According to analytical estimates, approximately 20% of all shoplifting is committed by “professionals” who steal expensive goods for subsequent resale. “Professionals” are responsible for more than 80% of stolen goods, with many of them visiting the same store several times a week and using foil in bags or clothing.
Is your security system reliable?
Perform a simple test to check the reliability of your security system.
Take a shopping bag and wrap it, including the bottom of the bag, in several layers of regular foil (the more layers, the harder it is to detect the identification label/sensor). Place the bag in the second bag. This way the foil will be between these two bags. Now, load up your bag with a few (expensive) items that have all the security features and go through your current shoplifting anti-theft system. Get ready to strike!
Important Note: We're not giving away any secrets here - information regarding foil bags and their making is widely available on the Internet. Shoplifters know all about them. Now you have learned about it too.
Anti-theft systems
An anti-theft system is an electronic anti-theft system (EAS) that protects merchandise from theft and also acts as a deterrent to potential thieves. Electronic systems include hard sensors attached to the product, anti-theft gates placed at the exit of the store, deactivators for burning sensors and security labels, and special removers for removing reusable hard sensors that are installed at checkouts. The operating principle of all systems is based on reception and transmission electromagnetic waves from sensors to the gate - when an unauthorized removal of goods is attempted, when the sensor enters the gate’s coverage area, a sound or light signal appears.
Based on the oscillation frequency used, anti-theft systems are divided into four main technologies: acoustomagnetic (58 kHz), radio frequency (8.2 MHz), electromagnetic (16 Hz to 12.5 kHz) and radiomagnetic (71.218 Hz and 8.2 MHz).
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All of them have a very wide range of applications, however, in each specific case it is necessary to analyze a large number of parameters in order to determine what type of equipment is optimal for a particular store - after all, each type of system has both strong and weak sides. Thus, when purchasing equipment, it is important to consider the compatibility of the protective label and sensors with various types goods, the possibility of using reusable sensors, the width of the anti-theft gate, the level of interference at the installation site of the system, the cost of deactivators, sensors and the entire system, the response rate of the system when carrying a security label through the gate, etc.
Acoustomagnetic technology
Marking mirrors several times reduces the likelihood that your car will be in demand and become a tasty morsel for criminals. Equipping mirrors with additional protection in the form of engraving serves as a warning to car thieves about the economic inefficiency of stealing mirrors. In addition, marked original parts cannot be replaced with similar cheap analogues when contacting a car service center. Marking car mirrors does not spoil at all appearance car and does not affect the quality of the glass (including chameleon mirrors with photochromic dimming and heated mirrors) and does not interfere with the view.
Reliably protects against theft or
stealing mirrors
Does not spoil the appearance and does not
prevents exploitation
Apply once and not
needs updating
Looks aesthetically pleasing
More efficient and accessible
expensive "frameworks"
Does not affect heating and
darkening element
How to resist theft of mirror elements
Due to the special design, it is impossible to secure the mirrors “tightly”, therefore the most effective and inexpensive method of combating the theft of mirrors is their marking, this is practically an “unstealable option”. The engraving of car mirrors is specially done in the most visible places (without blocking the view), warning a potential criminal about the impossibility of further selling the stolen marked part. After all, it is impossible to remove it without damaging the mirror element, and it is impossible to sell marked parts on the car market or Avito.How mirrors are engraved/marked
The protection of mirrors in the form of markings as a special sign is obvious. Applying the VIN number to the outer surface of the mirror is a fairly quick procedure. The process takes 15-20 minutes and, most importantly, occurs in the presence of the car owner. Using chemical etching or sandblasting, numbers are applied to the surface of the mirror depending on the size of the mirror elements of the car, which are clearly visible to prying eyes. Moreover, it is not at all necessary to dismantle the mirror; a unique VIN code is applied to the accessible parts of the part, so it does not need to be disassembled and reassembled.If desired, when engraving mirrors, the VIN number can be applied incompletely, in a font of any size, or even individual markings can be made in the form of any inscription. Printed in any style and in any font, the VIN number cannot be removed mechanically.
What the car owner will receive after marking:
- “indestructible” mirror markings
- car safety
- significant cash savings
Mobile gadgets are made to simplify the life of any person, and their lack of control allows you to work or play with them in public places, increasing the risk of their loss, both theft and loss. But one way or another, developers think about their users and try to help as much as possible with the search or to remotely block the gadget. For this purpose, various software for iPhone and Android, which can, if a gadget is lost, either quickly find it by coordinates or completely block it. Such developments turn out to be very useful, because they prevent the next criminal implementation of such smartphones.
How to protect against theft and loss of iPhone
The following functions will help you find and return your iPhone or iPad:
- iCloud
- Activation Lock
- Find iPhone app
January 29, 2015 Apple company filed a wonderful patent application new technology security for iPhone to minimize the possibility of your smartphone being stolen. This is called Apple going crazy. If the Cupertino company really implements these technologies, not a single robber would think of stealing someone’s smartphone. So what does this technology do? Every robber thinks straightforwardly: I’ll turn off the device so that they don’t start calling me or, even worse, they won’t track me, and he thinks correctly. This technology prompts you to enter a special password before turning it off, and that’s where the robber got caught. While he is entering different combinations, iPhone can already be tracked ten times. Moreover, the code is not just a set of numbers, it is a code word. Perhaps this technology will use a fingerprint, which will further increase the difficulty of hacking mobile device. Now that many developments are already in full use and there is even a face id system, you don’t have to worry too much about your device and data, but it’s better to play it safe and protect your gadget as much as possible, and we’ll now tell you in more detail how to do this.
If your smartphone is stolen, and there is no second one nearby, then you must immediately go to the icloud.com website from any device and put your gadget in lost mode. This mode locks the display with a four-character password and displays your phone number to help you return your device. During such a blocking, the use of the gadget is impossible until the device is unlocked by the owner.
By using of this service You can display various messages on the screen, for example: “ This phone is wanted by the finder, please call 99-99-99” and the finder will have a 90% chance of returning the device to you.
Activation Lock
This feature also helps protect your iPhone if it ends up in the wrong hands. When it is enabled, you will need to enter correct Apple ID and password. Even if all device data is erased and important information, the function will continue to work as if nothing had happened and cannot be disabled without your permission. This function turns on automatically when setting up the Find Iphone service.
Find iPhone app
How to protect against theft and loss of Android
- Remote control
- Security and location apps
Using the service from Google, you can protect personal data so that no one can use it, as well as find out the location of the gadget and perform some other actions that significantly worsen the situation of the one who stole the phone. It is also possible to send messages to the device, return it with a text for a reward, call the phone, erase data, etc. All this can be done by going to the service via the link google.com/android/devicemanager
Turning on remote control on the device, you can control it from anywhere, but for this you need to use google service or special programs and applications.
Applications to protect your Android smartphone
There are a lot of things being developed right now. various applications, by installing them on your phone, you can easily track or manage it various functions. This is done specifically for security and so that anyone can quickly find or limit the use of a smartphone. All of them allow you to send messages, make calls, block certain functions, or covertly launch the camera to take a photo of the thief.
Protection applications that can be downloaded from the Play Market
- Lost Android
- Prey Anti-Theft
- Find My Phone
- Where's My Droid
Articles and Lifehacks
For people who often lose their things or are inattentive, it is important to know how to protect your phone from theft and protect yourself from such a problem.
Ways to protect phones from thieves
If you lose your mobile device, the easiest way to find it is to call your phone and hear a familiar ringtone. However this method not very effective, since phones are often set to silent mode.
The special stickers that are popular today, indicating the phone number and the amount of reward for returning the find, do not need to be used at all.
Phone manufacturers offer a new “Anti-Theft” option, present in almost every antivirus. The essence this application is that if the device is stolen (lost), you can send an SMS message to your phone with a special code to activate the blocking function. In addition, when you enter such a code, the coordinates of the phone's location are sent, which are entered into any navigator. Disadvantages of this method:
- inability to activate a switched off phone,
- inefficiency,
- receiving inaccurate information.
For forgetful people, you can purchase a special keychain that attaches to your phone or case. Such a keychain should respond to the owner's whistle. If the key fob is silent, you should start searching for the mobile phone until it is found by someone else.
If connection with the base is lost, individual wireless headsets remind you of yourself - serve a special sound signal. In this case, there is no need for the phone owner to learn to whistle. How to protect your phone from theft using a similar tool? When the person who stole the phone is removed, a siren will sound.
Bill to protect phones from theft
Question of protection mobile phones from theft is once again rising at the official level. The authors of the bill are trying to solve the problem of illegal possession of phones, countering their theft and overcoming all the associated consequences.
If a gadget is stolen, the thief will be able to use the phone owner’s database, as well as the money remaining in the account. Issues raised by this law:
1. Stolen phones must be blacklisted and disconnected from cellular network if necessary, when employees search for the device law enforcement IMEI control needs to be implemented.
2. Classify “wrong” phones (stolen, illegally imported into the country and used for criminal purposes).
3. Disabling devices by court decision or at the request of the phone owner.
4. Implementation additional measures control.
In this article I will tell you how you can insure yourself against possible loss of your phone. After following the instructions you will be able to:
- find your Android phone or tablet(you can find out the approximate location of the device)
- remotely lock phone/tablet
- through the Internet remove personal data from the device
For the service to work you need:
- active
- Internet access on the phone
- geolocation is enabled on the device (GPS)
Internet access is needed to communicate with the phone, GPS to determine and transmit coordinates, Google account to manage the service " Android Remote Control »
If all this is there, then you can proceed to setting up the “Remote Android management" First, let's set up the phone, you need to enable remote control. To do this, go to the menu, “Settings” - “Google” settings - “Security”. Here we enable the items “Remote device search” and “ Remote blocking and reset settings":
Let's also check whether the geolocation function (GPS) is enabled. To do this, go to “Menu” - “Settings” - “Location” - move the switch to the “ON position”
And also on the phone must be turned on Mobile Internet or WiFi. This completes the setup.
Now let's check the functionality of the service. Go to your computer or laptop and open the page in the browser https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager?hl=ru. Enter data here Google account from your Android and after that the service page will load:
Here we see the location of our device and 3 available functions: ring, block, clear.
If your phone or tablet is not visible in the service, then it may be hidden in Google Play, to display, you must enable the “Show in Menu” function at play.google.com/settings
For the most simple test Click “Ring” if everything is configured correctly, the phone should ring.
When you select the "Block" function, you can set New Password, for improved locking. You can also set a message that will be displayed on the lock screen, for example “Reward for return! My number is +77-777-777.” And you can also set an allowed phone number, this is the only number that can be called and it will be displayed on the lock screen.
AND last function This is cleaning your phone. If there is information on the phone that should not fall into the hands of other people and there are doubts that the phone will be found, then you can delete all data on the phone.
That’s all, if you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments :)