How To Stop Fraud Attacks On Your Phone

by Author
How To Stop Fraud Attacks On Your Phone

Do you open an e-mail on your cell phone? This is how a scam attempt can be triggered. Phishing is a social engineering cyberattack that begins with a fraudulent email.

In it, cyber attackers can include links by clicking on which you will access a false website, and they will surely ask you for private and sensitive data for some compelling or urgent reason. Then you will reveal your usernames, passwords, card numbers, etc.

If, on the other hand, malware has been installed on the mobile device, scammers will be able to access your private information without you being able to notice it.

How To Detect If You Have A Phishing Message On Your Phone?

You should take into account that, in terms of security, Android devices are more prone to this type of cyberattack. For what reason? This is basically because Android is an open-source operating system, so it is more vulnerable. However, that does not mean that iOS software is completely protected. It is advisable to pay attention to the following clues to avoid phishing on your mobile device.

– Battery and data: It is very common to suddenly have an excessive battery or data consumption. It does not always mean that you are being phished, but it is a common consequence of this attack.

– Internet: If you notice that while browsing a web page, you are redirected to another one that you have not searched for, it is very likely that some malicious actors want to attack you. Close the website immediately.

– Advertising: If you are browsing the web on your mobile device and a screen with strange ads appears, it is an obvious sign of phishing.

– Applications: Be wary about noticing applications that you have not downloaded. Delete them and check from time to time your applications to verify that you do not have any without your authorization.

– Overheating: Another suspicious sign to identify is that your cell phone suffers from overheating and unusually slow speeds.

What Are The Most Common Types Of Phone Scams?

Smishing or identity theft by SMS:

Smishing is a form of phishing that uses mobile devices as a platform for attacks. Pretending to be courier companies or online stores, from a post office to Amazon, and inviting a victim to see the status of an order is considered a classic of the genre. Today, it is also common to receive an SMS from a tax agency informing of a due refund or installment payment.

One more variant of smishing consists of receiving an SMS in which the fraudster pretends to be your bank, alerting you to unauthorized access to your account or any other irregular action that requires intervention. As a rule, they include a link that will redirect you to a web page that looks similar to that of your bank through which they install spyware or, directly, induce you to authenticate yourself, stealing your bank passwords.

Vishing or impersonation with calls:

In this variant of phishing, instead of text messages, attackers use phone calls in which they pose as someone who inspires confidence to make you fall into their trap. Banks or some official bodies are the ones that are most often impersonated, with fraudsters resorting to emergencies to make the victim act hastily. In such situations, when people have no time to decide, they stop thinking critically and take rash actions, like providing personal data or even making bank transfers.

Virus alert:

Another classic. While you browse with your mobile phone, a new window opens in which you are alerted to the infection of the device with a virus. The message will detail that the finding has been discovered after a scan of the phone and will invite you to take action. You download a malicious code believing that what you have installed is an antivirus. The result will be the hijacking of your mobile phones, the theft of your data, and the infection of third parties by sending them malicious links on your behalf.

How To Prevent Your Phone From Fraud Attacks?

If your mobile device has already shown signs of infection, don’t delay in fixing the situation. Follow these steps to restore security on your cell phone.

– On your Android, open the Google Play Store app, find and activate the Play Protect option, which helps you perform an analysis of all your installed applications and find out if any have problems.

– Reset your cell phone to default settings, as long as you have made a backup of your information before.

– Clear cache and downloads, as certain types of malware can hide in the browser. 

Before entering a username and password, verify that the web is secure. How to identify it? The URL must be “HTTPS” and a closed padlock must appear on the left side.

– Beware of generic messages in your emails, messages that are not addressed directly to you, i.e. texts starting with something like “dear user”.

– Download trusted apps directly from the App Store on your device.

– Protect your mobile phone by setting automatic software updates. These updates could offer you additional protection against newly appeared security threats.

– Avoid accessing your banking information from a public Wi-Fi network.

– Activate two-step authentication. It is an extra security barrier.

Remember that you should protect your mobile device as much as possible, and this implies that you should use a password manager, install protection software (in case you have an Android device), and never give out personal or private information by email, phone calls, or text messages.

If you doubt the authenticity of the communication, use PhoneHistory to find out the details of that unknown person (such as the caller’s identity, location, phone number details, etc.)

As the use of smartphones increases, scammers are discovering new ways to gain access to personal information. The best way to avoid the tricks of phone scammers is to be aware of what schemes exist. We hope this guide will help you reduce the interference of those malicious actors in your life and protect your phone.

You may also like