Smartphones are expensive and the information you have on that smartphone may be worth more than money.

Recently, there has been a surge of iDevice thefts in New York City and beyond.

The Wall Street Journal reports, "in New York, there were more than 26,000 incidents of electronics theft in the first 10 months of 2011—81% involving mobile phones—according to an internal police-department document. In Washington, D.C., cellphone-related robberies jumped 54% from 2007 to 2011, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. And the data may drastically undercount thefts."

While there really isn't a way to prevent a thief from targeting your phone, you can make sure that all of the information on your device is protected.

Make sure you have a pin code or a password enabled.

Back up your phone regularly. Services like 'iCloud' and 'Android Back Up' automatically save your content.

Make sure that you write down your phone's serial number and carrier IMEI number (International Mobile Equipment Identity). These typically can be found in your device's Settings.

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