[aiharkness]

Linda, I don't know anything about stopping someone from setting up your device on their own mobile service account, other than reporting the device stolen to your service provider.

The key thing, in my opinion, is to prevent someone from accessing your personal information on the BlackBerry, and also prevent someone from using the device on your mobile service account. Using a password lock and encrypting files on the media card is the single biggest measure you can take on the first step of protecting yourself. Notifying your carrier (and the police, if stolen) of the loss of the BlackBerry is the second step. Also, putting your contact info on the owner screen increases the chances of recovering the device if you lose it.

Going forward, BlackBerry Protect would provide you with some useful features. But I don't think it removes the importance of the password lock. If someone does steal your device with the intention of getting at the data that is on it, all they have to do is remove the battery before you are able to do anything. But if it is locked, they won't get get at your data, without extraordinary means. If you set content protection, then for certain they won't get at it.

For what it's worth, the big benefit of BlackBerry Protect is the automatic remote backup. Being able to see the location of your BlackBerry is cool, being able to remotely wipe it is cool, but to me it's the information on the BlackBerry that's important. If I break my BlackBerry or lose it, I can pop into a store and buy another, or order one online and have it express delivered. Not so with what's on it. Protecting and securing the content seems most important in my opinion.
Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile