FT.com – unpaywalled: “Phone theft is rising at a rapid pace. And far more lucrative than the value of the handset, organised criminal gangs know that our smartphones have become the gateway to a vast amount of our personal financial information. They will go to incredible lengths to steal phones unlocked, deploying tactics including “shoulder surfing” and even covertly filming targets to obtain passcodes before phones are stolen, knowing this can unlock passwords for apps and other services. Disabling a phone’s location signal and locking us out buys them more time to plunder our digital wallets, financial apps and steal digital assets such as crypto, plus our personal details and photos. Chillingly, these could be used to defraud us in future — or target our friends and family members. I lost a phone, and several days of my life dealing with the financial fallout, and I was lucky not to lose more. However, I have gained valuable knowledge about what’s fuelling this crime wave and how we can all better protect ourselves…”