Your smartphone does double-duty as a wallet and personal computer, holding everything from family photos to sensitive office data. Digital pickpockets and old school thieves can take advantage of this and steal everything in one fell swoop. However, with the right tools, you can keep all of your smartphone data safe and secure.

NQ Mobile Vault

Whether you are protecting your private data from a thief or a nosy partner, NQ Mobile Vault is an important part of your privacy efforts. Priced around $20 per year, this service for iPhones and Androids uses bank-level encryption methods to keep sensitive texts, contacts, call logs, and photos in a hidden vault. With this tool, you can have a secure chat away from Facebook, or you can set a four-digit code to protect any apps that need an extra layer of protection from prying eyes.

Spread the Risk

Instead of keeping everything important on your smartphone, move some of your accounts to a tablet. Companies like T-Mobile include tablets in their telecommunication plans. You are much less likely to lose a Nexus 7 than you are to leave a smartphone lying around. However, keep in mind that you need to protect your tablets just as aggressively as you do your smartphones, and most of the methods listed here can be used for tablets as well as smartphones.

Virtual Private Network

If you use your smartphone over a public Wi-Fi, any hacker on that network can lift your passwords and usernames as well as any text that you transmit. You can avoid this by sticking with your phone’s data plan and accessing what you need over 4G. However, that can get expensive.

Express VPN enables you to save on data charges and use shared Wi-Fi safely via a VPN (virtual private network). For less than $9 per month, VPN Express will encrypt everything that you transmit over your phone, making it impossible for anyone to track you and giving you peace of mind when using public Wi-Fi.

FaceLock Pro

The FaceLock Pro app for Android and iOs devices won’t unlock anything unless it sees your face. Based on powerful face identification software, FaceLock Pro can be used to protect your entire phone or just your most sensitive apps. Unless your twin steals your phone, this app will keep thieves at bay.

Fido Anti-Theft

Better than a guard dog, this free app works with Android and iOs devices. If anyone swipes your phone, you can set off an audible alarm using this app. If the thief is in earshot, the alarm will alert you to the location of the phone, and if that tactic fails, Fido can remotely lock or wipe out your phone. As an added bonus, Fido scans each app that you download, keeping your phone safe from malware, spyware, and other malicious content.

Last Word

In addition to the fancy apps listed above, CTIA, The Wireless Association, reminds you to make sure that you don’t overlook the basics. Lock your phone with a hard-to-guess password; be aware of your surroundings, and guard your phone as if it is your wallet. Finally, save everything in a second secure spot like a cloud, external hard drive, or a PC to ensure that even if something is lost, you can reclaim it. Connect with Linda at the Identity Advocate for more educational opportunities. 310-8310-4400

Tags: electronic payments, electronic pick pockets, hackingr

This Entry was posted by Linda Vincent

Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 / Electonic identity theft, Fraud, Identity Theft.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.