Are smartphones the next target for ID thieves?

Posted in 'Identity Theft' by Richard Catlin

19 August 2009

Despite the recession, it seems that gadgets are one thing that we can't do without. In particular, smartphones, such as the new iPhone 3GS, have bucked the trend of consumers tightening their belts, and are selling like hotcakes.

The capability of the new generation of mobile phones has increased fears over privacy and the potential for identity fraud. The latest example to hit the headlines is a user of the Palm Pre, who noticed that the phone was transmitting his location back to Palm's headquarters, as well as sending information about the applications he had used.

Smartphones are now able to store large amounts of personal information and perform tasks such as payment processing, so there are increasing concerns that criminals may step up their efforts in targeting mobile phones in order to obtain personal details such as card numbers and even PINs.

The Metropolitan Police reports that as many as 10,000 mobile phones are stolen every month and a staggering 125,000 are left in London taxis every year.

To improve your protection -

• Think twice about the information you store on your mobile phone. It may make things slightly more convenient for you, but does it leave you vulnerable if your mobile phone gets stolen?
• Only activate Bluetooth when you need to - cases of virtual 'bluejacking' are also on the increase, potentially opening up information stored on your phone to criminals without them having to physically touch it.
• Consider an app such as mobileme - allowing you to see where your phone is on a map, send a message to it that is displayed on the screen even when it is locked, and if it comes to it, even remotely wipe out all the personal data from the phone's memory.
• If you opt to cash in with a mobile recycling service such as Envirofone, make sure that all of your personal information is deleted and restore the default settings on the device before you send it away.

The Palm Pre case isn't the first to cause concerns about privacy.

The mobile phone directory 118800 was launched amid huge controversy earlier this year, despite claims that contact details would never be made available directly to an enquirer.

This doesn't seem to have washed with consumers. The site has been offline since the planned go-live date amid reports that it has been struggling to cope with the huge numbers of unsubscribe requests. If you've not done so already, you can make your mobile number ex-directory by texting the letter 'E' from your phone to 118800 - although standard network charges will apply.

Identity fraud is very much in the news right now, following reports that details of 130 million credit cards have been stolen in the USA. UK consumers are not believed to have been directly affected, but the news still serves to highlight the dangers we face.

You can check whether your lifestyle places you at any increased risk of identity theft by using our free Identity Theft Check Service. It takes into account things like which countries you have visited recently and the way you manage your finances and gives you a list of things you might want to do to improve your privacy, all for free.

You can also check your credit file online for signs of identity theft, and to make sure that you aren't exposing yourself to criminals by having active accounts at a previous address. You'll find the UK's widest choice of reports here.