How to Protect your Cell Phone from Identity Theft

Cell phone identity theft

My cell phone has an identity? Your cell phone is a window into your life. Read these tips on how to protect your personal information.

Things You'll Need

• Cell phone with address book

Instructions

1. 

   Consider this scenario == Your purse or brief case is stolen. Inside are your credit cards, bank account information, all the stuff you don't want out in the world, and your cell phone. Before you can alert your spouse to the theft, he receives a text from "you" asking what your ATM pin number is; your spouse replies with the number. Your bank account is emptied.

2. Change how you list names in your cell phone == Listing phone numbers as home, hubby, sweetheart etc. identifies those who are close to you and could possibly have sensitive information such as pin codes. Instead, identify phone numbers by first names only or some other system that you can identify that wouldn't be obvious to the casual observer.

3. 

   Verify by voice == If you receive a text requesting personal or sensitive information, follow up with a phone call to verify the person asking is really the person asking. If you suspect fraud, call the police and file a report. Your cell phone company can assist with tracing where the call came from.

4. Immediately report the theft == Even if you believe that your belongings are lost not stolen report the incident as soon as possible to the local police department so there is a report on file.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep tabs on your credit information by checking your credit reports on a regular basis.

• Carry only one credit card in your wallet that you intend to use that day.

• Clean out your purse or brief case periodically so you're not inadvertently carrying around more personal information than you have to.

Resources

• FTC Identity Theft site
• Dept. of Justice ID Theft site