STOP! THIEF! Grab him, he’s got his hand in your pocket right now.
A staggering 140 million smart phones were sold last year and you can bet the bad guys are taking advantage of it. For most people, smartphones are always on and always providing access to valuable data.
Smartphones are being used for email, texting, billpaying and banking. All the threats that have ravaged your home computers are now coming to you pocket. Be very aware of what you click and the text you open
The attack on smart phones started with the use of texting. Unsuspecting users would open their phone bill and find charges totaling $100s more than they were expecting. In many cases even your carrier is picking your pocket by charging you for texting update information. You couldn’t refuse and you must pay for it. Want it or not, like it or not, if you receive text messages you are being charged.
Take a look at your most recent cell bill. Unless you have specifically unsubscribed, you will find a charge for Premium Text Messaging. Now check your previous phone bills and I bet you find you have been charged for quite a while. Simply telling your provider to stop will not stop the charges. If you have unknowingly given permission to these scammers, your cell company cannot stop the charges.
- What To Do.
1. You first need to ask your provider to put a block on future Premium Text Messaging. This will protect you from accidentally subscribing to new scams. In the future be very careful about who you give your phone number to. I never provide my phone number at the checkout counter when asked.
Never respond to text messages from MySpace, Facebook, or gimmicks that suddenly appear on your phone. I take the attitude that if someone wants to be my friend that much, they need to swing by the house so I can get to know them.
2. Now you need to stop the pick pockets that are already stealing from you. There will be a 5 digit number on your bill used to identify the Premium Text Message Service. Take that code and text the word “Stop” or “Unsubscribe” to the slick scammers who are picking your pocket.
Your provider should now send you the confirmation message that you have successfully unsubscribed.
3. Don’t forget your teens. Teenagers do more texting that any other group. Different surveys give different figures but you can count on your teen for between 50 to 300 texts a day. Be sure to block Premium Text Messaging for their phones and check that there are no existing scammers already billing.
Trojan attacks will continue to grow and the once unknown Malware-as-a Service is already the subject of many articles addressing rising security issues. We can expect that all current threats will be coming soon to our smart phones. Infact you better check and button up.
What Next
Will your phone need an antivirus just like your home computer? Will there be as many maintenance applications for you phone as for your laptop? Let me know what you think. Give your thoughts below.
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