Mobile security firm Lookout released a study Wednesday stating that 68 percent of people robbed of their cellphones are willing to risk their lives to get the devices back.
The probe also showed that one in 10 Americans have had their devices stolen. The results came from a March survey involving Americans who have been victims of phone theft, according to The Examiner.
The issue of vigilantism is raising concerns for public safety officials, CNET reported.
"This is a job for the police," San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon said in an email. "I understand the desire to use these tools to retrieve a valuable object, but a smartphone can be replaced - a life cannot."
The Federal Communications Commission said that one in every three robberies in the U.S. involved the theft a mobile device. The rate of mobile theft in San Francisco has increased to 67 percent of robberies in recent past.
Residents are often injured in fights over the phones, The Examiner reported. 90 percent of the participants said they took action to get their device back, such as using tracking applications to find phones or filing a police report.
But the study also showed that most robberies take place because of the victims' forgetfulness rather than through force. 44 percent of the victims left their devices in a public setting, such as a bar or a restaurant.
The survey also showed that most phone thefts took place between noon and 5 p.m., CNET reported.
Officials have tried to use legislation to solve the issue of phone robberies. Gascon has sponsored the "kill witch" bill, which was introduced by Sen. Mark Leno to require phone companies like Apple and Samsung to include antitheft technology in their smartphones to make them inoperable if stolen. While the Senate shot the bill down last week, it is expected to be taken up again next week.
