Gene Martin recycles a lot of cell phones at his business, Re-PC in Tukwila. Over the years he's been amazed at what people leave on their phones.
"People come in, drop them off, leave and they don't realize they have a lot of stuff still in them," he said.
With phones getting more sophisticated, there's no telling what someone with bad intentions might do.
Gene says it's worth the extra time to go make sure and delete everything that made your phone yours. That means contacts, e-mails, passwords, pictures, and voice mails.
Gene says clearing your phone is worth the time and easier than you might think. Some phones have what's called a SIM card, which stores data. You can just take it out and put it in your new phone.
For smart phones and PDA's, go to the main menu and reset the phone to the manufacturer's original settings. That's a good way to ensure it's clean and you can feel better about passing it along.
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