Protecting Your Mobile’s Identity

Don’t jailbreak, root or override the security settings on your device.

Keep your operating system updated to protect against cyber vulnerabilities.

Research apps to make sure they are trustworthy and don’t click on suspicious links.

Download your prepaid carrier’s mobile app to stay up to date on any security updates and alerts

If someone calls or texts you and asks for personal information (i.e. social security, bank account, driver’s license #’s) do not provide it even if the communication appears to be from a trusted entity. Always call your financial institution or go online to check for scams and to verify whether a request is legitimate.

If the caller or text claims to be from a business you are familiar with, call that business using a number you trust, such as the number on your bill, in a phone book or on the company’s website.

If you find that the caller or text is fraudulent, you can report the incident on the Federal Trade Commission’s website. Once you have reported it, just delete the text.

To prevent receiving calls or texts from that number, you can block it. On most Androids, the number can be blocked from the recent calls when selected and the text can be blocked when selecting the three-dot menu from the top right of the screen. On most iPhones, to block the number from the recent calls tap the “i” symbol and to block the text, tap “info” twice on the text message.