Festival-Goers Face Phone Theft Risk
More than a third of 18-35-year-olds who’ve been to a festival over the past three years have had a mobile phone damaged, lost or stolen, warned insurer Protect Your Bubble ahead of the start of Glastonbury Festival this week.
The firm polled over 1000 UK adults aged 18-35 and found 32% are planning to attend at least one festival this summer.
The gadget insurer was quick to point out the potential dangers of bringing along expensive electronic devices.
Most festival-goers interviewed claimed they take along a smartphone to keep in touch with friends at the site (75%), post to social media (62%) and contact friends and family back home (40%).
With the average attendee bringing along £368 worth of gadgets, and almost a third (30%) carrying gadgets worth £500+, the risk of something happening to that device is high, Protect Your Bubble claimed.
What's more, with 17% of revelers bringing their laptops, and 16% taking tablets, there’s plenty of opportunity for something to go wrong.
With increasing numbers of firms allowing BYOD in the enterprise, there’s also a risk that if a personal device is stolen, it could expose corporate data.
Over the past three years, 36% of festival goers have had their phone damaged (17%), lost (16%) or stolen (9%), according to the study.
Men (13%) are more than twice as likely as women (6%) to have their smartphone stolen at a festival, and younger revelers (13% of 18-24-year-olds) are more likely than their older counterparts (7% of 25-35-year-olds) to run into trouble.
However, festival-goers don’t do themselves any favors, with almost half (45%) of those interviewed admitting they have left their gadgets unattended in their tents.
Stephen Ebbett, global director at Protect Your Bubble, claimed nearly five million 18-35-year-olds plan to attend a festival this summer.
“Keep your smartphone safe by not leaving it unattended in a tent or a car, and don't store it in your back pocket when you're in a crowd,” he advised.
“To avoid the queues for battery charge points, take a portable charger or a cheap back-up phone – just remember to share the number with your mates."
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