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Authorities warn smart phone users to protect information [Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.](Daily Press (Victorville, CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 06--Cell phones with as much memory as some older computers, an increase in online connectivity, tablets and readers are all products and technological advancements made in the last decade. But with the technical leaps all meant to make consumer's lives easier, some law enforcement officials have also seen an increase in the vulnerability of sensitive information. "Think about it. There are a lot of people who use their smart phones exclusively for many tasks like banking," Detective Anthony Valencia with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Adelanto station said. "They are like little computers and many people don't think about all of the sensitive information stored on those devices." Recently, a Victorville satellite system installer was arrested after an Adelanto woman realized he had sent pictures from her phone to his. "He told her he didn't have reception on his phone and asked to use hers to finish up the installation process," Valencia said. "She later realized he had forwarded some personal pictures to his cell phone." Yesus Bekele, 39, was arrested for theft of intelligent properties from a computer. "We don't think he took anything more than pictures, but the potential for him to gather sensitive information was there," the Adelanto detective said adding officials are searching for other potential victims. With many people using their phones almost exclusively to log onto social networking sites, read email and conduct banking transactions, Valencia cautions users to be protective of their information. "There is an app out there from a bank that allows you to take a picture of a check, send it to the bank and it gets d e p o s i t e d ," h e s a i d . "What happens to that picture after it's sent?" C h a s e b a n k 's QuickDeposit service allows customers to take pictures of the front and backs of their checks then electronically send them to the banking institution where details are verified and the funds deposited. Bank officials say the service is safe and secure, but some wonder what happens to the images once they are snapped. "If we don't delete them does that mean that someone can use that information?" asked Crystal Ramirez, a Chase customer who had contemplated using the service but was unsure. "I guess it's up to me to destroy it after I send it." But it's not just cell phones that criminals are beginning to target. In a recent case hackers were able to gather sensitive information from the Sony PlayStation network. "People need to realize these devices are data storage devices," Valencia stated. H e re co m m e n d s people talk to their cell phone carriers and find out if there are any services which help protect their information if their phones are lost or stolen. For those who plan on recycling or selling their old phones, Valencia recommends people always remove their SIM cards and wipe out any information on the phone by returning it to its factory setting. "This is not an anomaly where it happens just once," he said. "It's happening all across the country and in many different ways." N EW YO R K --New s last week that an arm of the World Health Organization said cellp h o n e s m i gh t ra i s e the risk of brain cancer has been greeted by Americans mostly with a shrug of the shoulder -- one that's pinning a cellphone to the ear. Google searches for "cancer" and "cellphones" spiked this week. And some people vowed to get headsets to shield themselves from radiation. But most seemed to either dismiss the warning as too vague, or reason that if the most useful device in modern life poses a slight health risk, then so be it. "I was watching the news about it, and I thought, 'I'm already screwed because I've been talking on the phone for seven years,' " said Genevieve Chamorro, a 31-year-old New Yorker who was shopping for a phone. John Gottani, a manager at a cellphone store in New York, said he's been selling phones for six years and has never heard anyone ask if they cause cancer. The only things customers really care about, Gottani said, are "if it works, and if it texts." T h e In t e r n at i o n a l Agency for Research on Cancer reviewed dozens of published studies on cellphones and cancer before classifying cellphones as "possibly carcinogenic" on Tuesday. It's a risk category that includes night-shift work, engine exhaust and coffee. Studies haven't been able to rule out a link between cellphones and cancer. But experts say that if there is a link, it's unlikely to be strong. Cellphones emit weak radio waves, which, under the conventional understanding of physics, can't wreak the same sort of cellular changes that sunlight and radioactivity can. A common tip offered to those who want to reduce their exposure to cellphone radiation is to use a headset. Even wireless Bluetooth headsets reduce radiation exposure. Though they emit radio signals of their own, they're much weaker than cellphone signals. B u t t h e re s e e m s to be little rush to get B l u e t o o t h h e ad s e t s . They've been declining in popularity for at least four years, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. It's also found that most headset owners don't intend to replace the one they have when it wears out. According to Strategy Analytics analyst Chris Schreiner, the main reason is that when you're wearing a Bluetooth headset, you look like a person who's wearing a Bluetooth headset. "Style has always been a huge issue in terms of Bluetooth headsets," Schreiner said. On Twitter this week, the most common posts mentioning "headset" and "cancer" have been repeats of a joke from humor site Someecards. com: "I can't decide between being seen wearing a Bluetooth headset or just getting brain cancer." Cellphones differ in how much radiation they emit. Proposals in a few states would force cellphone stores to display these radiation ratings. B u t C T I A-T h e Wireless Association, the cellphone industry trade group, is fighting these moves. It says there's no evidence the measured ratings have any correlation with risks. And cellphone manufacturers and carriers are showing no sign of breaking ranks with each other to use the ratings to their advantage -- for instance, by touting "low-radiation phones." S p o ke s m a n Jo h n Walls said CTIA wouldn't fight a manufacturer that wanted to market a "low-radiation phone." ___ To see more of the Daily Press, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.vvdailypress.com. 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