Mobile phone technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the past decade, with modern mobile devices now akin to powerful pocket-sized computers. More than half of the internet traffic today comes from mobile devices, with millions of internet users browsing the web, controlling their home’s smart devices, and conducting business from their phones.
It is easy to forget about the importance of protecting yourself when online if you access the internet from your smartphone because you hold the device in your hand, so naturally, you feel secure. However, tens of millions of scams annually start as a phone call or a simple text or instant message sent to a user’s phone, escalating into a more elaborate scheme or installing malware. The following simple steps are designed to protect mobile internet users.
Always Keep Your Phone’s Apps and Software Up To Date
We cannot stress the importance of keeping your mobile phone’s operating system and applications up-to-date enough. It does not matter if you only use your phone to access the best football betting apps, watch Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, or if your phone is a portable workstation; you must keep everything updated.
Old software often becomes vulnerable to hackers and cybercriminals. All software and apps are strings of code, and these highly intelligent people spend countless hours finding a way to use that code to gain access to people’s devices. Conversely, mobile phone software providers and app creators spend equally as much time trying to find potential vulnerabilities before creating patches to stop criminals from taking advantage of any loopholes they may encounter.
Often, apps and operating systems are updated to bring fresh features, but they almost always have increased security. Continually update your phone’s operating system when such an update becomes available, and ensure any apps from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store are also updated as and when those updates land.
Your Common Sense Is The First Line of Defense
Keeping your wits about you and applying common sense to a situation is often the best way to prevent being scammed. You often read about how seemingly unsuspecting victims are tricked into handing over their bank details or transferring large sums of money to someone they were unaware was a criminal.
It does not matter how busy you are, you must stop and think before replying to any unsolicited messages or phone calls you receive, and you should never click any links from anyone that you cannot verify as being 100% legitimate.
Most mobile phone-based scams work because they instill fear and panic into a person. They often pretend to be from your bank or national taxation institution and claim there has been strange activity on your account or you owe thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes. Many people receiving these messages panic and instantly reply because they believe they are in trouble with the authorities.
Always remember that your bank or credit card company will always address you by your full name or by your title and surname. They are likely scammers if they cannot provide these relatively minor details. Likewise, banks, credit card companies, and other financial outlets will never ask you to reveal information like the three security numbers on your payment card, nor will they ever ask you to transfer money from your account into another.
Hang up the phone and contact the business directly on a contact number you know is 100% correct if you are ever in doubt that it is your bank or similar that is contacting you. They will not mind the minor inconvenience and will be able to put your mind at ease.
It is particularly important to take a step back and think about what is being said to you if you are busy. This writer was contacted only last week while they were cooking dinner and had two children running around the house. The caller claimed to be from my internet service provider, and as I had been experiencing issues, I initially thought the call was legitimate. However, they asked me to visit a website from my computer that did not make sense, so I asked them who provided my internet service. They could not answer and became abusive! I almost fell for what was undoubtedly a scam just because my head was not in the game at that time.
Consider Using a VPN
VPN is an acronym for Virtual Private Network, a piece of software that acts as a middleman between your device and the websites you visit. The data from your phone passes through the VPN’s servers and is encrypted in such a way that it is impossible to hack (literally) before reaching the target website. The encryption ensures that even the most tech-savvy cyber-criminal has zero chance of intercepting your data and taking control of your device.
Another benefit of state-of-the-art encryption is that not even your internet service provider knows which websites you visit, making a VPN perfect for those who highly value their privacy. Your internet provider can see that data is passing to and from your mobile phone, but it cannot read what that data is due to the encryption.
A VPN is not only about encryption and security because they have other handy features, too. For example, it is possible to select which VPN server your data passes through, which makes the websites you visit think you are physically in that location. You could be sitting in your favorite chair in Ohio, but make a website believe you are walking around London in the United Kingdom. Location spoofing, as it is known, comes in handy when accessing sites unavailable in your country, such as the popular BBC iPlayer.
Be aware that VPN usage is prohibited in some countries, so checking the country’s rules and regulations before installing a VPN onto your favorite device is worthwhile. You do not want to find yourself in hot water with the local authorities.
