10 Reasons Why You Should Stop Giving Your Phone To A Stranger Or Someone You Can't Vouch For |PoliFocus

As we all know that privacy the most important thing in life, ranging from personal to corporate.

Privacy issues or loopholes as to how you are using your phone may be catastophic if not properly handled. 

I decided to arrange this post so as to consentize the venerables and freestyler. 

Reasons why you should be more careful in the handling of your phones:

1. Unathorized access to BVN:

Presently telecommunication companies  in Nigeria has come up with an easy way of accessing one's Bank Verification Number (BVN) by dialing *565*0#.

This step is a right direction because it brings about flexibility and ease but the purpose of this lofty idea may be grievous if unauthorized person dial this USSD code, this will definitely reveal the BVN to the person, which in turn can use it for dubious act. 

2. Credit Borrowing:

Someone can use your phone to borrow credit or airtime without your knowledge. I have heard some friends complaining of such, the issues were the revealed to them by the customer care agents that they borrowed airtime, but the fact is that they actually didn't but was performed by a fast finger parading as friends. 

3. Transfer of Credit or Data Bundles:

Though this involves usage of PINs or password, but some people can still go extra mile by guessing your PINs, if you are using simple PIN, like your year of birth. 

4. Unathourized access to your files:

Some files like your phone book contacts, business details, memo, nasty picture(s) or videos if you have any, cheque details, Western union or Money gram, among other sensitive information should not get into wrong hands.

5. Data or Application lose:

Some people may not be familiar with your mobile phone's Operating System (OS), instead of asking questions on how to navigate it, then will be using trial and error policy.
And in the process, some of your valuable data cum information may be deleted....  You know what that means. I was once a victim of such

6. Physical Damage:

There is a yoruba aphorism that states that, no one can take care of a child like her mother (ta lo pon omo ni olomo ko wa wi). This implies adequate care that your phone needed may not be gotten from the person.
That may lead to misuse of phone and this may bring about physical damage, for instance, if fell on the floor, the mouth piece, speaker, charging Port, etc may be affected.
It can as well fall inside liquids.

7. Answering of your calls:

Some people are yet to come to terms that mobile phone is a personal stuff. Some people are so primitive to the extent of picking someone else's call without authorisation. Sensitive information that involves the owner of the form may be gotten by them and this may have multiplier effects on the phone owner. Not every information is meant for third party.

8. Loss of phone components:

This is a common phenomenon, some phone's batteries and other hardware components have be lost to this. If the person knows that yours is better, he/she may decide to play smart by changing some of these hardwares, most especially, someone with idea in phone repairing.

9. Change of Settings:

This is also common, some will be playing with your and in the process change some settings, for instance your display picture(DP), wall paper, templates, just to mention but few.
Phone is meant to suit the interest of the owner, not a friend or supposed friend of the owner.

10. Illegitimate transaction:

Your phone may be used to hack your account or others people’s account. We now have our mobile banking applications installed on our phones, this makes our bank accounts suceptible to fraud by fast fingers.
But if it involves other people’s account or shaddy online transactions, you are still the cuprit because, all the transactions will have your phone unique  internet protocol (IP) address.

What to do:

1. Password protection:

This should be the first thing to be done immediately you acquire a new phone. It means that you are personalising your device.  Usage of weak password like your year of birth, 1111, 1234, 0000, among others should be discouraged.
Use a unique PIN and if possible, make if long so that it will not be easy to guess or hack.

2. Encryption:

This involves coding your phone so that unauthorised user will not be able to use it.  This uses mathematical schemes and algorithms to sramble data in unreadable text.

3. Personal monitoring:

You as a phone owner should try your best in  unsuring that your phone doesn't get into the wrong hands. So the onus lies on you.

4. Phone Repairing:

If you phone is having one issue or another, you make delete some sensitive information before taking it to a phone engineer. But please ensure that you backup your stuffs before doing that.
This happened to one of my lecturers back in school then, he gave his laptop to an engineer and and the end of the day, virtually all his results were upgraded but discovered the foul play because the so-called upgrading was abused.

5. Charging:

You should be mindful of where you charge your mobile phones, it is better for your battery to be flat that for you to lose your information to the wrong hands or even lose the phone to a thief.

Your mobile phone is an integral part of you, so guard it jealously. Carelessness of five (5) can cost you millions.
So be guarded.

If this is beneficial, why don't you share it with your friends. 

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