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It was January of 2007 when the world welcomed the iPhone. Now, just five years later, we use our smartphones for nearly everything, from giving ourselves mustaches to checking our bank accounts. More than half of U.S. smartphone users are accessing mobile banking features, something that was unthinkable merely two decades ago.
With new mobile technology allowing us on-the-go access to our financial accounts, it brings along a heightened awareness of security issues. Having your financial and personal data on your phone makes you more susceptible to identity theft. In fact, smartphone users are being targeted more often than the general public; seven percent of smartphone users were victims of identity theft fraud in 2011, which is one-third higher than the average consumer. While many of us have figured out how to protect our home computers from hackers, 62 percent of smartphone users don’t bother to protect their phones with a password.
The good news is that your smartphone actually has the capability to help you keep identity theft and fraud at bay. Here are a few ways to get started.
Enable remote theft protection.
If you’re an iPhone user, you may already know about your phone’s built-in security apps. The iPhone’s security features include the ability to locate your phone if it’s stolen, automatically display a message to anyone who finds your lost phone, set a passcode lock from a remote location, and—in extreme cases—remotely wipe your phone to restore it to its factory settings. This feature is especially useful for identity protection if you’ve saved your financial account login information on your phone. For Android users, there’s Avast! Mobile Security, which remotely locates your lost or stolen phone, and lets you set off a loud siren.
Monitor and manage your finances.
Most of the larger banking institutions have their own smartphone apps. These apps can be helpful for checking in on your balances on the go. Check your statements while you’re out and about to watch for suspicious purchases. To keep an eye on multiple accounts, use an app like Mint.com. You can set up alerts to notify you when one of your accounts reaches a certain balance. To make sure no one’s opening new credit cards or loans in your name, monitor your credit with Credit Karma Mobile. The app will alert you to major changes in your credit report, like a new hard inquiry or a new account.
Protect your phone from shady WiFi connections and sketchy apps.
More than 300,000 mobile apps were developed in the last three years. For iOS alone, more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded. Chances are, not all of those apps were checked for malware and viruses. The Lookout app (available on iPhone and Android) does the checking for you, among other things. It will alert you to unsecure or unstable apps and prompt you to uninstall. It also notifies you if you visit an unsafe website on your phone or if you’re on an unsecured WiFi connection.