A Consumer Reports survey has revealed that the incidence of phone theft in America is growing at a startling rate. While more than 1.5 million Americans had their phones stolen in 2012, this number jumped to 3.1 million in 2013. This has induced manufacturers of premium phones to provide preinstalled solutions to track a device after it is stolen, and even to lead law enforcing agencies to the doorstep of the thief.

Both Apple and Samsung have provided the necessary technology to not only track devices after they are lost, but also to remotely lock them and erase all their content. Apple provides a free app called Find My iPhone to track phone thieves in real time as they move across town. Samsung’s latest phones offer Absolute LoJack, a feature-packed software that can track devices even when they are shipped overseas.

Many other developers have also jumped into the growing anti-theft industry. Mobile security firm Lookout introduced a new tool called "Theftie" last week to track down the location of a missing phone and even capture a snapshot of the suspect by using its Lock Cam technology.

However, the police are not entirely convinced by the usability of such antitheft technology.