Protecting Your Personal Information

MIAMI (CBS4) -- For most people, their cell phone is more than just a phone. From passwords to bank accounts, it holds our most private and personal information. What if your phone is lost or stolen?

It's a growing problem you may not even realize, until it's too late.

Blame the features on your cell phone – features like speed dial.

"How many times do you take out your phone and use the dial, the key pad, almost never, you go to your contact list, you hit a name, that's it?" said technology expert Lance Ulanoff with mashable.com.

The lack of knowledge is turning into trouble for more and more people. If a phone is lost or stolen there's a bigger worry than a lost phone and numbers. There's also personal information from bank accounts to passwords that are being stored in today's phones.

"Phones are kind of the wallet of the 21st century, they have all that important information," Ulanoff added.

You can protect yourself.  Experts say just like you do with a laptop, back-up data on your cell phone. The cost is minimal and there are many options. You may also want to download an app that can help track your phone should it go missing.

"And as always, we tell people put a pin code on your phone, so if someone else does find it, they can't access all your important information," said Ulanoff.

Perhaps your best line of defense is an old fashioned address book.

"Maybe a little black book with 10 key phone numbers is not a bad idea," added Ulanoff.