How to Tell if My Phone Has Been Cloned
There are nearly 300 million cell phones in use in the U.S. The vast majority of these – 290 million – are smart phones which can connect us instantly to the internet. It's that connectivity that puts us in harm's way. The same holds true for iPads, Kindles, and other e-readers, and tablets.
Having that cell phone in your pocket or purse is like having a computer with you 24/7. That convenience has led many people to use them for everything including banking, online purchases, checking email and even entertainment.
There is a treasure trove of information stored on your cell phone and other devices – your personal and financial information, text messages, emails, contacts, photos, and passwords. Tech-savvy cyber criminals are aware of this and as a result are targeting connected devices. They are after information they can use to make you a victim of identity theft or set you up for a scam.
Does it matter which phone you have? To some degree yes.
According to information recently published by foolproofme.org a non-profit online consumer website, "Established smartphones have pretty good hacker protection systems. Take the apps for iPhones, for example. Every app is inspected by Apple, one at a time, so the chance of getting hacked is pretty small. But not every manufacturer can get it right all the time. On Google's Android system there are plenty of ways to get hacked while using some of their apps."
There are many safeguards you can take – but as I've said many times, we must be our first line of defense. So, let's first start with think before you act.
One way that hackers are able to access your phone is to get you to click on infected links in text messages and emails. However, that's not always necessary. The very sophisticated hackers can use zero-click hacks that don't require you to do anything to activate the attack.
How to tell if your devices have been hacked
Inappropriate pop-ups: If you see inappropriate or X-rated advertisements pop-ups on your mobile phone, it could suggest that your phone has been compromised.
Calls or messages you have not initiated: If there are unknown calls and messages initiated from your phone, it could indicate that your device has been hacked.
Exponentially high data usage: Your data bill is suddenly higher than usual without you increasing your online activities, it is likely that your phone is hacked, and the fraudster is using your phone's data to run apps in the background.
Draining of battery: The battery life of your phone decreases with time, but if the battery drains at an alarming rate, that's a signal.
Poor performance: If your phone shows sluggish performance like crashing of apps, freezing of the screen and unexpected restarts, these are signs of a hacked device.
Unrecognized apps: If you notice any unrecognized applications downloaded on your device, it could be the work of a hacker.
Unusual activity on social accounts: If there are unrecognized activities on your social media or emails account that are connected to your phone, it could mean that a hacker has gained access to the device, and it could lead to identity theft.
No calls or messages: If you stop receiving calls or messages, the hacker may have gotten your SIM card cloned from the service provider.
What to do if your phone is hacked
Delete unrecognized applications: Check your apps and delete all that you do not recognize.
Run anti-malware applications: Download a trustworthy anti-malware app that will detect malware and get rid of it.
Reset your phone: Resetting your phone is the easiest way to get rid of the malware.
Reset your passwords: Change the password of accounts connected to your phone to prevent the hacker from collecting your personal data.
Inform your contacts: Let your contacts know that your phone is compromised, and they must not click any suspicious messages received from your phone.
Contact service-provider: If you stop receiving calls and messages on your phone, it could mean a hacker is using a cloned SIM card. Contact your service provider to help resolve the issue.
The National Security Agency (NSA) says there are some best practices to help secure your mobile devices: avoid using public Wi-Fi, install security updates as soon as they are available, don't click on unconfirmed links in text messages and don't use public USB charging stations.
Recently, Senator Angus King who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee disclosed a simple tip he uses and learned from security experts, "Turn your phone off every now and then."
Security experts recommend doing that at least once a week.
Dennis Horton is director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau.
How to Tell if My Phone Has Been Cloned
Source: https://www.rrstar.com/story/news/2021/08/28/signs-your-phone-had-been-hacked-and-what-do-if-happens-you/5618988001/
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