Regenersis announced recently that they made a random sampling of two thousand recycled mobile phones, and according to them, around 99 percent of the sampled devices were still containing personal data of the owners, including banking information or confidential email correspondence.

Over 2 million mobile phones were processed by Regenersis last year, which would account for a handset being taken care of at every 15 seconds. In December, they ran the random sampling, which unveiled the fact that most of the devices had not been wiped clean before being replaced.

It’s a common fact that, on average, mobile phone users replace their handsets every 18 months. At the same time, smartphones like the iPhone, those running under Google’s Android platform or Nokia's Symbian OS have started to take over the market. Considering the fact that these devices can store a lot of personal information on them, a new owner could have access to all the user names and passwords of a previous user.

“Data clearance of these handsets is critical to ensure the security of those who entrust their unwanted mobiles to us,” said Mark Franklin, managing director of Regenersis.

Some recyclers offer services that include wiping personal data from a handset, yet users should also think about doing it by themselves, a move than might not take more than two minutes of their time. In addition, there are some programs that suggest that the SIM card should be removed from the phone before the recycling process.

“Our advice to consumers is to check with the recycling firm to confirm that all data will be removed,” Franklin also said. “If it doesn’t, then think twice before sending them your handset as your data could end up in the wrong hands.”

At the same time, the fact that users do not always get rid of their old phones is some sort of a problem as well. There are more than 700 million obsolete phones in the United States which are still kept at home instead of being donated or recycled.