Personal Safety
In the News
Big thing on gmb this morning about mobiles being stolen not just for the phone but for bank details. It's called shoulder surfing. A gang leader was bragging about the £1000s he makes daily and pays his gang members to steal them.
My question is this: Why do people have a banking app on their phones? Surely your debit/credit card is all you need when out shopping. If you need to pay other things you can do a bank transfer on your tablet, laptop or computer at home. None of those leave my house so can't be 'grabbed'. I would hate my phone to be grabbed but at least they couldn't empty my bank account.
I think Its because of convenience. You cant do a lot of things through an ATM. I forget the last time I went Into my town as there Is nothing there. My phone Is Inside my pocket when out shopping or at work and I hardly ever use It compared to some. You can turn off your contactless through your online banking anyways. The only thing you know Is the PIN. Just be cautious when using your card. Thats all I can say.
Emerge11 gmb obviously got it wrong then and this gang leader is not making thousands from this crime.
I have banking apps on my phone but I don't use them to pay for things using my phone, I always use my credit/debit card
martinlufc5637 but doesn't that mean you are still at risk from this shoulder surfing thing, or having your phone stolen/lost? I can't think of any reason to have a banking app on phone unless you have no other system like a tablet or pc indoors.
There should be a device like an SOS button you carry with your phone
If it is snatched you could press the button and the phone automatically deletes all your personal information , or renders it useless
If you get the phone back you have the option of reinstalling all the deleted data from the company providing this service
Come on tech companies, pull your fingers out , i am sure if i can think of a solution like this you can think of something even far more advanced , or not 
Lynibis I was thinking more on the lines of after they snatched it L , you would have a seperate activation button in your purse or pocket that you could press anytime after that would prevent them opening your phone and accessing your data , it would be like a tracker so it wouldn't matter how far away they were
I never used my phone for banking or shopping. I don't trust any computerised data as being safe from theft so I'm certainly not going to make it easier for nafarious people.
I have a Pixel 7a with all type of apps to use at home, but on the go I'll use a Samsung Galaxy A40 which I've removed most apps, no Google account, and kept only the essential apps.
I used to use a basic phone, but the screen cracked badly so I had to buy another one and decided to go with this. Plus, it has a camera if I want to take a photo/record something.
PhilipMarc sounds sensible. Even if these criminals don't get your bank details some people carry their whole life on their phones, I would be distraught if mine went.
PhilipMarc I've still got the Samsung A70 P, which i won on a twitter competition a couple of years ago, still going strong although battery not as good as it was
telmel That's a known issue with Samsung devices.
My Samsung Tab S2 from 2018/19 doesn't hold battery anymore so when it goes from 100% to 70% it shuts down (needs to be kept plugged in to avoid that). Oh, and the screen has some sort of display issue too if left on lower brightness (fine at medium/high).
I just use it for YouTube and Radio because it's barely usable otherwise (I never dropped it or anything, I guess the hardware wasn't built to last that long).
I'm heading to London in October. Not looking forward to how unsafe it is. Will just have to make sure I go stand by shop window/door to use my phone
Jerseydrew Yes, I would also suggest to bring a bullet proof vest, ballistic helmet and a tank, please don't use public transport.
It's London not Gaza. Don't walk with your phone out looking confused as you will be an easy target. 90% of the people loosing phones are mobile zombies which would walk on a motorway looking at the screen.
SebK84 haha hilarious love it. Sounds daft seeing all the stuff on the news/media it's hard to know if it's being blown out of proportion or not. Not been to London since pre rona.
Thank you Lynibis for posting the link to the newspaper article which made informative and useful reading.I am always surprised when I see people with their phones in their hands out walking which makes them a target for someone snatching the phone.There are also large groups of people who carry their phones in their back pockets which makes it easy for someone to remove.Keep safe everyone.
I can't remember the last time I used my physical cards. Even if someone snatches my phone, they cannot use it for payments or to access my bank apps without Face recognition.
This thread reminded me of this video I watched just now:
NYC isn't doing too well either, unsurprisingly.
Well also when speaking to the banks they will use the app to verify that you are who you say you are etc. Also it’s convenient for me to be able to check my bank account when i’m out and about
The last time I went into my bank to sort something they had me doing on the app.
SilverSurfer I reckon that would be pretty safe and it proved to them you were who you said you were.
Lynibis They had me doing it all on the banking app without the need of a member of staff. You can do a lot of things in the app and at some point you will only be able to do certain things on the app. In the future without the app I reckon you won’t be able to do much at a bank.
SilverSurfer hopefully when I am no longer here! I am struggling with the new washing machine, dishwasher and tumble drier just delivered!
Sadly they also have ways to make money using your phone and don’t actually have to get into your phone.
They do it all from their phone. They did a feature on this on the Radio 4 consumer program You and Yours as there were a lot of handbag thefts from lockers at Virgin gyms.
They set up an app on their phones for whichever bank or credit card they’ve also stolen along with the phone (especially easy if you have a phone case and put your cards in it)
They need your phone to give them the security access codes which are sent through as a text message, majority of people will have messages set to preview (not me any longer!!) so this comes through on the lock screen no need to get into the phone. The app has your PIN number and hey presto off they go as well as online purchase where again access code is needed or input app approval- scary how easy it is.
Please everyone don’t have your text messages set to preview.
I don’t use the banking apps for that reason, or losing my phone. I prefer to log in each time online to keep me safer.
Criminals stealing phones on scooters "just" a problem in London? Not anymore.
I wouldn't care about losing the phone I take on the go as it doesn't have anything important, I'd just have to order replacement sims.
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