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They may thank the Lord they’re Welsh, but denizens of Cardiff are more likely than anywhere else in the UK to get their phone nicked, according to new figures from mobile insurers Protect Your Bubble. The data is based on over 40,000 claims nationwide.
More than a third (36 per cent) of claims in Cardiff are for theft, Protect Your Bubble says. The next highest are Edinburgh, with 32 per cent, and Hull, with 30 per cent. Err nerr — yer’ve nicked me phern!
The place least likely to see a blower grabbed is Stoke-on-Trent, with just 7.7 per cent of claims there for theft. Nearly as safe are Plymouth (8.4 per cent) and Wolverhampton (8.8 per cent).
The figures aren’t necessarily representative of phone owners as a whole, and represent the proportion of people who claimed on their insurance who’d had their gadget nicked, as opposed to broken or lost.
Is there a pattern though? “Cardiff and Edinburgh’s big student populations could explain why these are hotspots for theft claims,” says Stephen Ebbett, director of Protect Your Bubble, “as we know those in their early 20s are most likely to be victims of mobile theft.”
People in their late 20s, perhaps getting more forgetful in their old age, are more likely to claim they’ve lost their mobiles. Phone loss is most common in Manchester and Bradford, with 40 per cent of claimants in those unlucky cities saying they’ve misplaced their devices.
Phone theft is one of the only rising crimes in England, according to the latest government figures, with easily snatched £500 smart phones making juicy targets for tea-leaves.
Have you had your mobile lifted? Did you have insurance? Was it easy to claim? Or is it better value to save up for your next phone instead of paying a premium? Give me your advice in the comments, or on our well-guarded Facebook page.
