A stolen smartphone can be used to steal your money. Here's how to protect them

Eliminate major security holes

SIM card

As long as the SIM card is inserted into your phone, you get by with a password, fingerprint, or Face ID and think the data is safe. But once you plug it into another gadget, the fraudster gets full access to it. Here's what he can do:

Receive messages from banks, including SMS codes, and confirm transactions with them. For a fraudster who already has your card details, this is just a gift.
Top up your mobile phone account using simple commands sent via SMS. With this money, you can pay for something or withdraw it through an electronic wallet, which is easy to create directly in your name: the fraudster already has a SIM card.
Change the password for your personal account on the bank's website and manage your money directly from your browser.
Install on your phone applications of banks that serve you, log in to them, change your passwords and manage funds. Taking into account the fact that some banks allow using a phone number as a login, even special knowledge is not needed here.

On the night of May 1, I discovered that my phone was missing. I didn't worry about the phone, it was inexpensive. It was a shame only for the SIM card - at that time it was still registered to my mother. She lives in another city, so restoring a SIM card is a whole business.

When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I did was to choose a new phone and order plane tickets. However, all services stubbornly wrote that there were not enough funds on the card. Going to the nearest ATM, I found a terrible thing: an unknown person transferred 115 thousand to someone else's card.

It turned out that someone had found my phone, pulled out a SIM card and sent more than 70 requests to mobile number 900 (the short number of Sberbank, which can be used to transfer money through messages). Then this someone inserted my SIM card into his iPhone, used the number of my card to enter the mobile bank, which was destroyed two years ago (apparently, its full number was sent in one of the SMS), and then asked for a one-time password to access my finance.

And after more than 70 strange SMS to 900 come from a number registered to another person at 6 am, someone tries to enter the mobile bank from a device that I have never used, using a card number that is two years old how destroyed. Do you know what Sberbank is doing? He sends a one-time password to enter Sberbank Online. But that's not all! The money is withdrawn in five tranches: first 8 thousand, then 48, then 37, then 20, then 2. Sberbank does not block any of these operations.

If you have a phone from which you can easily pull out a SIM card, be careful not to leave it unattended, even for a short time.

What to do

Install the PIN code on the SIM card. In this case, sticking it into another phone will not be enough, you need to know the cherished four digits. Of course, don't store the PIN in your phone notes or any other app without a password: it's dangerous.

If the phone is stolen, immediately call the operator and block the SIM card. Stealing money here is just one of the problems. Maybe the fraudster decides at the same time to post a couple of swastikas on the forums or scold the authorities - you will be not only poor, but also a prisoner.

Wallet data on lock screen

To use your SIM card in full, the attacker must know which bank you are a client of. If the phone is locked, the fraudster can still do it, but only with your help.

Let's take a look at the example of the Wallet for iPhone program. You put all your cards there and rejoice at how convenient it has become. To make it even more comfortable, you have enabled the function of opening the wallet by double-tapping the Home button or side key. All cards become available to you, it is easy to choose the one you need. But in order to pay for something, you have to confirm the operation using Touch ID.

Sounds safer than it really is. A fraudster will not be able to use the cards, but he will easily find out which banks they are issued by. A little manipulation, and the money from the accounts will rush to unknown distances.

What to do

Turn off the display of Wallet content by double-tapping the button. To do this, you need to find the "Wallet and Apple Pay" section in the settings and move the corresponding slider.

If you've set up something like this on Android, it's best to disable that too.

Displaying message text on the locked screen

Every time you unlock your phone to read a spam message or a mailing list from a store, it's usually lazy. It is more convenient when you can immediately overlook the text and send it to the trash can, if there is nothing good there.

But only when the phone is in the wrong hands, the fraudster will not even need to do anything. All SMS codes from banks will be available to him.

What to do

Disable the output of text messages on the locked screen in the security settings.

On iOS: Settings → Notifications → Show Thumbnails → Never.
On Android: Settings → Security & Location → Locked Screen → Hide sensitive data.

Smart Lock

It is cool, convenient and technologically advanced when a smartphone recognizes you, for example, by a smart watch and unlocks if you are somewhere nearby. But the range of the Bluetooth signal is rather large, and an attacker can easily gain access to the insides of the phone if he takes it away, but remains close to you.

What to do

Think about how much you need this feature. If you literally do not let go of your phone, work from home and really need your smartphone to be unlocked at all times in your presence, you can take a chance.

To disable Smart Lock on your Android smartphone, go to Settings → Security & Location → Smart Lock. Then select the option to which the unlock is linked, for example: "Trusted devices" → "Disable" or "Remove trusted device".

Your sluggishness

Remember that the telephone is not just a means of making calls these days. If you find him missing, do not expect that he will miraculously be found. You need to report the incident to the bank for at least two things:

The bank will tick the box and will not allow the money to leave the account. Discuss how this will work to protect your savings. Remember that all conversations are recorded, and you may find these recordings useful. To be sure, you can record the conversation yourself.
If you notify the bank that fraudsters can gain access to your accounts, but the transactions will still go through, you will have grounds to make claims against the financial institution. Telepaths do not work there, so the withdrawal of all the money from their accounts may not surprise them. They will shrug off your claims there: the operations are confirmed by the prescribed methods. But if you are robbed after you call the bank, questions can be asked already to its employees. This is what recordings of conversations are for.

What to do

Call banks immediately as soon as you find your smartphone is missing. It is better to run afterwards to restore access to mobile applications, if the phone is found, than to be left without money.

Come up with a really hard password

Year of birth is a bad password, it is better to choose something more authentic. A good pattern is one that your friends can't enter even after you've shown them what to draw with your finger.

Do not attach all cards to your smartphone

Who can argue, this is very convenient. But it would be better to protect the cards, on which there is a whole fortune, from the sticky hands of fraudsters. Moreover, physically stealing your phone is not the only way to get your money.

Pay special attention to cards with a credit limit. Stealing from debit cards makes you poorer, and from credit cards it drives you into debt.

Activate the "Find My Phone" function

It is called slightly differently depending on the smartphone, but the essence is clear. If the device disappears, you can quickly lock the devices, and, if necessary, delete all data from it remotely.