Do I address this or not?? Am really annoyed..

[Dizzybizzylizzie]

Hi all,
Would love your opinions on this.
My job involves going to people's homes on a weekly basis.
Today I accidentally left my phone behind at one family. Quickly realised, went back but family were out and didn't manage to collect until many hours later.
Phone had no password as had one previously but found it really impractical so removed. Have now reinstated p/word.
My phone had clearly been accessed! Unopened messages had been opened for starters including personal texts and whatsapp messages.
My phone obviously includes the normal chit chat stuff but also stuff of a personal nature including my bank statements/transactions and personal thread between myself and a close family member who is going through a difficult time. Also there was one whatsapp message that had remained unopened for three weeks since I had received it as on my part I had embarked on, for good reason 'radio silence' regarding this particular person. Since the message was opened, I am now being bombarded as they can see the message has been read and they think they have my attention!
As said up thread I have now reinstated password and blocked the person who has been harassing me.
However I am angry that someone in the family felt it was okay to access my phone, read all my messages and open (and read) previously unopened ones.
It (to me anyway) is like finding someone's diary and rifling through it.
Dearly want to (delicately) bring it up with the parents. Am I over reacting?

Yes, and I think you need to let your supervisor know exactly what has happened and show them any texts from this person as well in case they believe that you instigated the contact and accuse you of harassment.

Not sure what you can do or say, really.

I’d certainly say ‘thank you for returning my phone, but I wish you hadn’t accessed my messages’ and you might get a mumbled apology but beyond that ...

No supervisor. I am self employed. The family is one I have worked with for three years.
The person who was harassing me is nothing to do with them and I have now blocked him anyway due to the restarting of texts since his last message being opened by someone in the family where I had left my phone.

I hope you don't have any information relating to your clients on your phone?! If you even have names and phone numbers you could well be in breach of data Protection laws by leaving your phone accessible in that way. You were foolish not to have a password and encryption set up. Yes, they were rude to access it and read the contents, but I think you have to chalk this one up to experience.

Nothing you can really do about it. Depending on how much you need their business, you might stop working for them.

Was it a child or teenager? Then you really should speak to the family. The child/teenager needs to know that it is not acceptable. If you say nothing they will know that you know that they looked at your phone and you did nothing. Which means that they'll think it's okay.

But at the same you really have to use a password. So it is partially your fault. Sorry!

Sorry, but you should be (and probably are) annoyed with yourself. So just drop it and learn your lesson.

I would definitely stop working for them.
Yes you should have a password but reading other people’s messages is dreadful.

I hope you don't have any information relating to your clients on your phone?! If you even have names and phone numbers you could well be in breach of data Protection laws by leaving your phone accessible in that way. You were foolish not to have a password and encryption set up. Yes, they were rude to access it and read the contents, but I think you have to chalk this one up to experience.

This ^^

If you'd like to continue business with them I'd just leave it. You never really know who a person is and an accusation could cause a lot of drama. Treat it as lesson learnt (password)

Thanks so much for the responses. It's really helpful to put a situation 'out there' and get feedback. The validation that this was an unacceptable thing to do makes me feel better in that I am right to feel uncomfortable.
No worries about professional disclosure thankfully.
Don't want to stop working for the family as I actually like them!
I have noted, and agree that children should be taught that snooping is wrong and invasion of privacy (which they, themselves would not like).
Problem is...it could have been the mother

The security measures on the phone are there to protect you. Treat it as a learning curve. I don’t see how you can say anything really. It was incredibly rude of that person to go through your phone. Perhaps just let them know that you’re aware it’s happened.

If you had messages/information pertaining to work and or client's on there, you have allowed a date breach by not having a password.

The family haven't been honest and had no right to look at that stuff, but by not having a lock on there, you have let confidential information to be accessed by a third party.

You may also need to inform your other clients that their data/personal info has been viewed.

This is exactly why phones can now be locked. If no-one ever snipped, it wouldn't be an issue.

I don't understand why you are upset with someone when the mistake was yours in the first place. You were lucky to lose your phone there rather in the street.

Of course it would have been the teenager, the temptation would have too great.

You can say something but in the end, the teenager is likely to think that you were an idiot to not have it locked.

I would stop working for/with them and tell them exactly why. I wouldn’t trust any of them now. If you want to still work for/with them then I think you’ll have to let it go.

Do you think it was possible they were looking for a way to contact you via a friend to let you know you’d left your phone there? Would they know other means of contact, like email? Did they even know it was yours? Because honestly if I found a random lost phone the first thing I’d do is look through the messages to try to figure out someone who seemed close enough to the owner of the phone that I could message them to let them know their friend/family member lost their phone and how to reach me to collect it.

Your fault. You should have had a password on it, despite the 'impracticality'. I don't get that to be honest, it takes a few seconds to unlock it, how lazy are you? People like you annoy me, you could have had a data breach and all you care about is that they looked in your phone. If you had secured your phone, they couldn't have accessed it. Please don't make your password 1234 either just because it's a hassle to remember something.

Given you suspect it could be the mother, why not say something like ‘I’m so pleased to have my phone back. However, I think you should know that many of my messages and emails (or whatever) were read. I/you/we obviously need to make the children understand the need to respect other people’s privacy. I’m not sure I can continue to tutor (or whatever you do) them’... then stop speaking and see what she says/does.

People are largely nosy though, so I’m not surprised one bit and yes, it’s pretty daft not to have had it PP, but you live and learn don’t you.

A real life lesson that not everyone thinks and behaves as you would. No doubt you feel hurt they clearly didn’t do what you would have done, ie: noticed the phone and immediately put in a safe place ready for your collection. Pointless saying anything, just be extra careful in future