12 security tips to keep cellphone info and bank account safe from crooks

There have been a number of new cases where victims had their cellphones stolen and discovered their bank accounts were emptied.

Fraudsters are constantly tweaking their tactics to gain access to your banking credentials, especially when your cellphone device has been stolen, warns cybersecurity expert Lukas van der Merwe.

Consumer journalist Wendy Knowler has reported on a few recent cases where people discovered that their bank accounts have been cleaned out after their iPhones were stolen.

RELATED: Can’t find your phone? Drop everything – thieves can get into your banking app!

Van der Merwe, from IT service multinational T-Systems South Africa, shared some valuable advice for cellphone users at risk.

General cellphone safety advice to avoid security breaches:

• put a complex passcode on the phone (and change it regularly)
• turn on Lost Mode on your iPhone
• set up regular data back-ups
• stay on track with software updates on your device to avoid vulnerabilities
• do not use the same passwords and usernames across apps, create unique credentials for each platform
• never save or store any e passwords and usernames on your device

Advice for once your cellphone has been stolen:

• Log onto iCloud or Google from another browser to put your phone on Lost Mode
• take note of the phone's last location, if it appears
• erase the data on the phone
• don't share any password information with anyone claiming to have located your device
• change the password on your banking app and other e-commerce apps on your phone
• log onto your banking profile from another browser and deactivate the device from your profile

Fraudsters can impersonate officials from "Find My iPhone" app and other services in order to gain access to your password information, Van der Merwe cautions.

Don't fall for it! He stresses that cellphone users should under no circumstances share their login details with anyone.

When your phone is lost, or in any other situation, never provide any credentials to anybody.

Lukas van der Merwe, Specialist security sales executive - T-Systems South Africa

Never share your login and password for any system with anybody.

Lukas van der Merwe, Specialist security sales executive - T-Systems South Africa

The expert describes how criminals are using social engineering to trick unsuspecting victims.

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