It's no secret that smartphones have been hot sellers. Nor is it much of a surprise that they are popular among thieves. We've heard numerous stories of users who recovered their device with device tracking software, but it seems the chances of getting back a stolen gadget are declining as more stolen phones are making their way overseas.

The major players of the wireless industry created a national registry of stolen smartphones. This should make it more difficult to activate a stolen phone in the U.S., but doesn't do much for black market phones outside the nation.

The FCC needs other countries to share data, but other than with Mexico they haven't had much traction.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't take precautions. Find My iPhone from Apple and Prey for Android devices do continue to produce successful recovery stories.

One other simple piece of advice is to not let your smartphone blind your situational awareness.