Your smartphone probably contains data in places you might not think to look. People--and companies--that sell old phones often do a lousy job of erasing all that info, according to our research with 13 secondhand phones.
Stands at the flea market were selling stolen phones. The owners had not been able to wipe the phones remotely. Your old cell phone data can reemerge from the past to haunt you. Whether it’s because sellers are lazy or naive, cast-off phones still contain troves of information about their former users. And as phones get smarter, they’re ever more likely to hold bank account passwords, personal email, or private photographs that anyone with the right kind of motivation could exploit. (more)
Tip: Always protect your cell phone with a passcode PIN. Some smartphones allow their passcodes to be longer than the usual four digits and will automatically erase your data if the wrong code is entered too many times. ~Kevin
