The era of mobile scamming – and how to avoid it

You’ve probably worked out that smartphones are our new computers. Like them or not, we seem to be increasingly attached to them. They sit in the palm of our hands, they get lost in our bags –and they get shoved into the back pocket of our jeans, only to drop straight into the toilet when we forget at the crucial moment. But that’s kind of irrelevant here, so we will move on.

The point is, our phones are always connected, always on and always synching back to base. But unlike your old clunky PC, this means a lot of your data now floats around in the ether rather than sitting on a hard drive.

So what’s actually happening to this data – these little pieces of you? We’re talking about your passwords, your bank account details, your birthday and credit card details – who’s taking care of it for you? Who’s doing their best to let you know when your information has been compromised?

We can. We have professionals who are experts at online monitoring and can help find your information.

If you’re anything like us, you’re always online. Your location services are firmly ‘on’ – how else would you find your way around? And anytime you see free wi-fi you visibly relax. But without thinking about it, you’re leaving a virtual digital trail of your life behind you: your location, your likes, and your movements throughout the day are all being logged. This is open slather for online crooks who are looking for exactly these clues to help them earn some money.

But that just happens to other people, right?

Not so much. Around half a million Australians have had their identity compromised online¹, and most don’t even know that an incident has occurred. This could mean you – right now. Hackers are pretty savvy these days, and simply by logging into your local café’s wi-fi you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to an attack.

Free wi-fi is great, and we’re not saying that you shouldn’t take advantage. In fact, it’s pretty hard not to take advantage when more and more locations are offering free internet de rigueur. Instead we’re saying that some networks are more legitimate than others – so think a moment longer before you share your details. Yes, plug your details into the official airport network that’s being promoted in the departure lounge, but avoid unknown personal hotspots.

The same goes for location services. Take a snap at your local park with the kids and a savvy local criminal now knows that you’re not at home. Checking into the grocery store means you’re still out and about – and they have a little longer to break into your house. Sure, use maps to find your way from A to B, but do you really need to identify your location every time you go somewhere?

So how does it actually happen?

Cyber thieves aren’t stupid. In fact some would say they’re cunning, creative and very tech-savvy. Devices like iPads can be concealed in public places, meaning thieves don’t have to actively ‘look’ like they’re doing anything more complicated than sipping a coffee. Instead, they may be stealing your digital footprint as you innocently surf the net at the next table.

Think about it: you tap in your PIN for banking or log on to your favourite app and someone could be taking your details for their benefit. It sounds like we’re fear mongering, but it’s becoming a modern phenomenon. Once you’re on the same network as a thief, they can use free software to trace your keystrokes – meaning they have any personal data you care to tap into your phone.

Make it go away!

While we can’t stop bad people from ruining our day, our clever little product known as Identity Watch can help keep your private life, well … private.

We have to say we are very proud of Identity Watch. Whether you choose to buy it or not, we know it works.

This is how it works: you let us know which of your most treasured information like your credit card details, drivers licence, passport and email address information, you’d like to protect. Then, should your information be found to be traded in online forums around the world, we alert you.

All for as little as $4 a month, Identity Watch helps complement the security in your life and helps build your hassle-free digital future. For the price of a cup of coffee it seems worth it, really.