The cost of living... what can we do?

The phone app is only as secure as your phone. There's been a spate of incidents in the news where people have had their accounts emptied. Thieves steal your phone and immediately start buying expensive goods before you have chance to report your phone stolen. They then sell their illegally acquired goods on the black market.

 

But what is the answer????
I have a lock on the phone, i have to log in with a 5 digit number, i could go over to the fingerprint thing but I get fed up with it keep telling me to clean the sensor.

 

I have a banking app on my phone but I cannot purchase stuff with it. For that, I need my card. But if someone steals my card they can shop for goods up to £100 until I discover it is missing or until the bank triggers the PIN check.

 

I am a cash man, when it's gone, I go home. Cards are handy tools, when financed properly, things can easily get out of hand when you don't.

A few weeks ago I purchased a chromebook for my daughter, Curry's had a 24month 0% plan on offer, no discount for immediate payment. Does a bank give you a loan with out any fee's, is there such a credit card that does a cash transfer without a fee? Why should I pay exactly the same for something that probably most other consumers take out the 0% payment plan offer on 24months, do they put a percentage on the cost to cover this? So not a great fan of cards, plus I am more of a, spend present money earned than future money earned person.

 

The latest advice is to also encrypt your SIM card. I have no idea how you do that but apparently it's an option.

Criminals are stealing phones, and where the phone is locked, apparently they install the banking app on a different phone, then put your SIM in the other phone. Apparently this then convinces the app it's really you.

I don't know the finer details. To be honest I didn't pay that much attention because I don't have payments enabled on my phone or any banking apps or anything, but it is certainly something people should be aware of if they do use such things.

 

It seems the criminals are always one step ahead of any new security ideas that they come up with.

 

The app requires a passcode entered to gain access, so unless the thief can guess that, having my SIM in their phone is not a lot of use. You can go through life worrying all the time or you just get on with it and take sensible precautions. I am 74 years old, I have never had anything stolen (other than dust caps off my car tyres) and I have never been scammed. What would I have benefited if I had spent my adult life worrying about what COULD happen?

 

Just clicked on a picture on Facebook and now my laptop is disabled.
Phoned up and hopefully got someone coming round to look at it tomorrow.
Never had that happen before.

 

Get an LED head torch, if you haven't got one already.
Less of a fire hazard than candles, excellent for reading, cooking etc batteries last for ages.
Also good for nocturnal trips around the garden looking for maurauding molluscs, nocturnal caterpillars and such like.