Delete your cell phone’s information before you sell

Gear Diary is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Click here to learn More.

Delete your cell phone's information before you sell Listen to this article

3355493146_a65ae05c6f

In case you missed this story, Yahoo posted a funny little PSA on how to go about what not to do when it comes to dispose of your old cell phone.

Clearly the folks at Missouri University didn’t read Carly’s recent reminder about how to go about deleting information off your cell phone before you get rid of it.

It seems the athletic department at Missouri University had some old cell phones to get rid of.  The phones were sold at a University surplus sale and when the buyer, Bellman, purchased 25 of them for $190 he discovered that none of the information, (address book, text messages, e-mails etc.) had been deleted.

One of the phones, a Sprint Treo, had belonged to the school’s head basketball coach Mike Anderson and had on it messages between him and the school’s head football coach Gary Pinkel.

ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4

It turns out none of the information was all that controversial.  Most of the messages were well wishes on upcoming games etc.  But imagine if they phones did contain important data such as recruiting information or game plans.

Just another reminder to make sure you protect yourself and fully delete everything off that old cell phone before you sell it.

You can read the entire article here.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!


About the Author

Gear Diary Staff
Gear Diary was founded on September 30, 2006, with the goal to create a website that would not easily be labeled. Everyone who is part of Gear Diary is a professional who uses technology in their work and daily lives. On this site, we share our enthusiasm while exploring the gear we use — the equipment that makes our lives easier, more entertaining, more productive, and more manageable. Our hope is that Gear Diary visitors find this site to be a welcoming, friendly, and accessible place to learn about and discuss interesting topics — and not only those that are tech-related! Gear Diary is a place to discover and explore all kinds of new gear, including smartphones, computers, kitchen gadgets, Toys, EDC, camping gear, or even your next new car! You can follow us on Twitter @GearDiarySite.