With new technology and upgrades to our mobile phones and other devices happening so quickly these days, it’s easy to forget that it’s important to maintain a secure and protected device in order to enjoy using your phone for calls, shopping, and texting without having to worry about any security risks. And sometimes, jeopardising our safety can be as simple as taking a call from a scammer without realising it. Unfortunately, in those worrying “who called me” moments, it’s easy to look back and wish you’d put some steps in place to protect yourself and your loved ones from potential criminal activities and fraud.
Luckily, there are some actions you’ll be able to take in order to make it far more difficult for scammers to call and reach you. And if you can keep them in mind while remaining vigilant, you’ll be able to enjoy your mobile devices without having to worry about the possibility of criminals gaining access to your sensitive information.
Be careful giving out sensitive information
Be sure to stay tight-lipped when someone calls or texts claiming to be from your bank or any other business that handles your finances. And if something seems a little off, just end the call for safety. After you’ve checked out an official number for the company, you can then call back and double-check if it was actually them.
Scammers can send texts that seem very convincing too. If you receive a text message with a link, don’t click it as this is extremely suspicious. Again, contacting the business directly will help to confirm if it’s a legitimate text or call.
Lock your phone with a pin or password
This is an easy but effective way of preventing other people from accessing your information. It can be set up via your general security settings and can provide you with peace of mind in the event of theft.
Only download apps you trust
No matter what app you want to download, always check that it’s on a trustworthy official platform and that it’s an app you trust completely. Reading reviews (if available) can really help you to decide the legitimacy of the apps you choose to download. It’s also always a good idea to read the privacy policy of any apps you download.
Made a payment? Log out!
Any purchases or log-ins to your bank on your phone need to be logged out of as soon as you’re finished. While it’s not necessarily going to be the fault of you or the company you’re buying from, not logging out gives fraudsters more opportunities to take advantage. As a general rule, as soon as a transaction is done, log out!
Following all of the above tips and steps can help to make your mobile devices safer, more secure, and far more difficult for scammers to gain sensitive and private information. Putting these plans into action allows you to enjoy the technologies in your hand without the concerns of fraudsters stealing your data.
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