Stay Safe From Cell Phone Identity Theft

Another identity theft scam you may not have considered, is cell phone identity theft.  You cell phone is a huge window into your personal life.  The information your phone stores, in the wrong hands, could absolutely be used against you.  That’s why, as with everything else, you should be careful about how you use your personal information.  If you want to avoid having your identity stolen that is.

One of the surprisingly common ways that identity thieves operate with a cell phone, is by stealing your phone.  When your phone is stolen, they can text message anybody in your address list.  The usual tactic is finding your spouse, and sending you a text to ask for something as simple as your ATM pin number.  The spouse assuming the text is from you, then sends the number, and combined with a stolen ATM card the thief has access to your accounts.

You can solve this problem simply by having a conversation with your spouse, and by practicing common sense.  Anytime sensitive information is asked for via text, instead of just sending the information, try calling first.  Make voice contact to confirm that the cell phone hasn’t been stolen.

Also, identifying important people in your life with names like, “hubby”, or labeling a family member “mom”, only clues a thief into the important people in your life.  Try to use first names only.  You know who everybody is, but an identity thief won’t.  Not giving them any hints limits what sort of damage they can do with your contact list.

Finally, don’t store any important information in your phone, as it just can’t be adequately protected.  That means don’t save passwords, account numbers, social security numbers, etc in your phone.  That’s just asking for trouble, and making an identity thief’s job all the easier.