People need to switch on tracker apps that can help locate their phone if it is lost.
Newstalk Tech Correspondent Jess Kelly has given some vital advice around what to do if this happens to you.
It follows appeals from one particular Newstalk Breakfast presenter, let's call her 'Ciara K', who recently left her phone in a café.
Jess told the show she completely understands why people get stressed.
"Not only is your phone your phone, for me anyway it's my debit card, it's the source of all of my contacts, all of my information," she said.
"Not only is it your device but it's the way you authenticate yourself for your online banking or a whole host of other things."
A man using a smartphone with notifications, 107-12. Image: Jorge Pérez / AlamyJess said there are lots of ways to find out where your device is.
"The first thing to do if this ever happens to you is - if you've got an iPhone - you go to icloud.com/find that means you don't have to get the security code from Apple to verify that it's you," she said.
"You'll be given a precise location of your phone.
"You login with your email that's associated with your Apple phone, so you need to know this information."
Jess said finding your phone can be even simpler for Android users.
"If you login with your Gmail address to Google, you can type into Google 'Where is my phone'.
"It'll give you the precise location and also the option to call your phone if you so wish as well".
A dead device
Jess said the process become slightly more complicated for phones that may be turned off or out of power.
"If your phone is out of battery or if it's dead that brings up another issue," she said.
"In that instance you do have to get on to your phone network as soon as possible and get them to either move your number to a new SIM card or to cut off or temporarily freeze your account.
"[It's] really important to get on to any institution that has your data.
"Your phone should be encrypted, you should have multi-factor authentication on everything."
'It turns into a brick'
Jess said while some hackers can get around systems there is an extra layer of protection.
"The good thing about Android and iPhone devices is that you can now remotely lock them," she said.
"Say you were on the train down to Cork by the time you realised your phone was gone, you could go on to your laptop, go to icloud.com/find and you could lock your phone entirely.
"It just turns into a brick."
A young woman texting with her mobile phone in June 2019. Image: Westend61 GmbH / Alamy Stock PhotoJess has some important advice for people today.
"The best bit of advice that I can give to everybody is right now take out your phone, go to Settings, go to Security and enable the Lost Mode," she said.
"You have to ensure the tracker apps can identify your phone - there's no point talking about this if you don't have it enabled and then you lose it, do it now," she added.
Gardaí say anyone who has had their mobile phone stolen should immediately report it to An Garda Síochána and contact their service provider to have their IMEI number blocked so it can't be used.
The IMEI is a 15-digit number located on the back of a phone underneath the battery, or you can locate it by dialling * # 06 # on the keypad.
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