Mobiles are one of the best devices to cut down on manual work such as going to the bank or paying bills to many institutions. You log in to the mobile, access your bank account and transfer the money. Even in many businesses, finance executives transfer or receive most payments via the mobile. But yes, there is a disadvantage. There is always the danger of mobile phishing. In recent times, many employers have installed anti-phishing software for the office mobiles. In this article, let us focus on preventing mobile phishing: the need of the hour.
How Does This Phishing Activity Work And How Do You Fall Victim?
Are you not familiar with mobile payment transactions? Then you do not have to worry. But please remember, this is a name which you need to know if interested to make a career in the finance industry. The shortest description of phishing refers to the process where a criminal or hacker makes use of emails, SMS or phone calls or any other mode of contact to get confidential information. In short, the process is a distance con activity.
Usually, most phishing scams revolve around getting access to swindle money from your (victim’s) account. But not all phishing is related to only this aspect, there can be other reasons as well. If you are working in a respective position in your company, naturally, the phishing may be related to getting insider information. To get confidential information or to install spyware on your mobile, phishers often try to assume the identity of either a service provider, an Income Tax officer or a company that is offering gifts or discounts.
Preventing Mobile Phishing
Let us imagine, you are working as a finance executive in Mumbai. Usually, many money transactions are done online. As a finance executive, you transfer the payments to your freelancer workers via the mobile. Your company is enlisted as a vendor for the top home services company which offers doorstep online mobile service in Mumbai. In addition, this company also offers doorstep services for many home electronic appliances in the city. As a precaution, the CEO of your company has taken some extreme steps to prevent phishing attempts. They are
Anti-phishing Software
He has ensured that all the official mobiles have anti-phishing software. The reason, it will prevent phishing attacks. And every month, classes are conducted to focus on the importance of maintaining the confidential info of the company in a proper manner.
VPN
He has also ensured that you need to use a VPN or virtual private network during the travel process. Usually, any person will want to use fast Wi-FI in public places. But there is no guarantee that the networks are secure. They may, in fact, be used by a hacker to get into your mobile to harmful activities. After all, for use of the VPN, the company needs to spend only a small amount. But the mobile will always remain safe from hackers.
Now, looking at the other methods of preventing mobile phishing for all devices –
Password Management
This is another essential method for keeping your social media accounts secure. There are many individuals who use the same password for different accounts or make use of a password management system. Ensure if you have taken the responsibility of online payments from your company, you use another password management system in place. The program should keep the information safe for all your accounts. Please do not save every password on the phone.
Let us imagine, you work as an account executive for a company who provides laptop repair service in Mumbai. Your company has entered into a partnership with a popular start-up which provides laptop repair home service Mumbai. Now with the set of online transactions you do, there is a need for the proper password management system. Check the internet and ensure to download the proper tool for all your passwords.
Never Forget to Uninstall/Take-off Unused Apps
Yes, every app will have its own security feature, but the fact is you should evaluate if there is a need for requirement. There may be many apps on the mobile, which you may not use every day. And in case, you need to download a special app, do it only from the reputed Play Stores. The Google Play Store and others will have prominent security features in their system, and no malicious app can be present.
If you have less but useful apps on your mobile, there are fewer chances of phishing attempt to your mobile.
Caller ID
These days, many phishing attempts are done by phone calls. The caller at the other end may pretend to be a bank employee stating that detail needs to get updated to your account. So, he/she will ask for the PIN number. If you give, there is an end to the money in your banking account.
To prevent such phishing activities, ensure you install a Caller ID in your mobile. For example, True Caller.
The Conversation
During the phishing phone call, the person at the other end will try to put you in a state of fear, panic or extreme happiness. He/she may want you to do the process quickly. Please take time to understand the call. No reputed bank will want their customer to act in a quick way.
In a similar fashion, you may get a call from a new company regarding gifts or a discount for a product. After they have got your attention, you may be asked to sign to your bank accounts to transfer a small amount of money to their bank account. Then you can get the reward. In a similar situation, kindly ask for an excuse and hang up the call.
Email Phishing
There are also chances you may receive an email with a link stating a detail to get updated in your bank account. Please note, no Indian bank or reputed financial institution will send an email for the details to get updated with a link. The situation is very rare. In case you have received an email, check for the spelling of the bank URL. There may be a spelling mistake. In all, it is a phishing attempt.
Hackers can order phishing tool kits and make a website similar to that of your bank. The only difference you can notice is the spelling mistake in the URL. Please note, that if you log in to the fake website with your details, the hacker will get the password. Then he can log in to your account and transfer the money to a far-off place.
Easily Preventing Mobile Phishing
The second option is to go to the original website of the bank and check if they have passed a notification asking for the details to get updated. In similar circumstances, you can open the link from the original website and do the needful. But exercise caution while working on your bank accounts online.
Conclusion
Following the suggestions to the T as mentioned in this article on preventing mobile phishing will keep your device safe and secure. Always be vigilant, as the hackers always think of using new ways and methods to do phishing.
Have you read the article and the methods for preventing mobile phishing? Please let us know if we have missed any relevant information by putting a comment in the Inbox.
