I received an email about a lady whose handbag was stolen, with her cellphone, credit cards, purse and other important documents in it. When she was able to get in touch with her husband, he said that he received a text message from her asking abut their pin number. He gave the information. They discovered later that their money in the bank was withdrawn.
The thief learned who the husband is because his number, as reflected in the stolen phone’s directory, is “Hubby”. So, here are certain suggestions (culled from the email received) to minimize, if not prevent altogether, fraudulent incidents after losing your mobile telephone:
1. Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people on your call list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Mom, Dad, etc.
(On the other hand, I know of a story wherein the family was contacted by a good samaritan, after the husband met an accident. The good samaritan saw the cellphone, checked the directory, and dialed the numbers which indicate that these numbers belong to members of the family. So, which practice would you follow?)
2. When sensitive information is being asked for through text messages, CONFIRM by calling back. When you receive a text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you do not reach them, be very careful about going places to meet ‘family and friends’ who text you.
If you have other useful tips , please share it with the rest of us. Thanks in advance.
Thanks for this tip, especially this coming Christmas season. I am pretty sure thieves will be very busy these days, and the public will be quite relax.