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Tips for safer mobile phone use
December 3, 2025
Nowadays, we use our mobile phones for all sorts of things. From calling relatives, to managing your savings with the Marcus app, your phone is probably rarely out of sight.
Unfortunately, as your device becomes more useful to you, it also becomes more useful for fraudsters and thieves who may be interested in getting access to your information.
To help you stay safe whilst using your mobile phone, we’ve partnered with our Fraud Team to share these tips.
1. Use strong passwords and PINs
Chances are, you pick up and unlock your phone many times throughout the day and so you might have a phone PIN that’s quick and simple to enter. But this is risky as, if your phone gets lost or stolen, it could be easier for someone to guess your PIN and access your information.
To help keep your information safe, use strong PINs or passwords to unlock your phone and access mobile apps. This is still important, even if you use other password authentication methods such as fingerprint or facial recognition, as your PIN can still be used to enter your phone.
But what does a ‘strong’ PIN or password actually mean?
- Your password should contain no obvious patterns, personal information or common words. You should also avoid passwords that could be guessed by someone looking at your social media profiles, or by people who know you.
- Choose a PIN that’s a complex combination of numbers – and never use your date of birth or bank account number.
- Make your password and PINs unique by using a different password for each of your accounts. Reusing passwords can be risky as, if someone learns your password for one account, they could access them all.
2. Keep your devices up to date and protected
As fraudsters become more sophisticated, so do the ways you can protect your device. From biometric authentication to theft detection, your mobile phone is equipped with a number of security features that may make it harder for attackers to access your device.
You can usually turn on your phone’s security features in its settings app. For specific guidance on how to do this, please refer to your provider’s user manuals or instructions.
Updating your device regularly will give you access to the latest security improvements. You can schedule the update to happen overnight by turning on automatic software updates and selecting a time to complete. For your app updates, follow these instructions for Apple and these for Google.
To protect your finances, you can also enable a biometric authentication for your banking apps specifically and hide them, so they’re not visible on your home screen. Find out how to do this here for Apple devices and here for Android devices.
3. Keep safe in public places
When you’re out and about, keep an eye on your phone and don’t let it get into the hands of strangers. Fraudsters may try to befriend you, or claim they are in an emergency to get access to your device. Be wary of this strategy and, if someone genuinely needs help, consider calling on their behalf rather than lending them your phone.
Avoid messaging or scrolling while walking, especially in crowded cities and places you’re not familiar with. With your head in your phone, you’re less aware of what’s going on around you. This makes it easier for your phone to be snatched and for someone to access your information whilst the device is unlocked.
Your phone is not as useful to someone unless it’s unlocked, or the person knows your PIN. In public, keep your PIN and login details hidden so if someone does steal your phone, they cannot access your information.
4. Avoid storing your bank card and phone together
As the world becomes more digital and the days of carrying dozens of cards becomes a thing of the past, you may not want to have a physical wallet and instead put your bank card in the back of your phone.
But be careful as, if these two items get into the wrong person’s hands, someone could register your card to their device. Criminals can do this by entering your card details into a banking app, and then reading the verification code from the locked screen of your stolen phone.
To help prevent this, follow these steps to stop notification previews appearing when your phone is locked:
| Device | |
| Apple | Other |
|---|---|
| Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone and then head to ‘Messages’, select ‘Notifications’, then ‘Show Previews’ and choose either ‘When Unlocked’ or ‘Never’. | Go to ‘Settings’ on your phone and then head to ‘Lock Screen’, 'Notifications', then select the ‘Don’t Show Notifications’ option. |
5. Be careful with public Wi-Fi
Mobile data can drain quickly, and so public Wi-Fi can be a convenient safety net. But be careful when using these networks as anyone can join the network and potentially access your data if it’s not properly secured.
To reduce the risk when using public Wi-Fi, avoid accessing any personal information.
6. Report issues to your provider
While some signs of fraud can be obvious, such as misspelled text messages from unknown numbers, others are more subtle. Losing service unexpectedly and issues receiving calls or texts can be a sign that your SIM card has been swapped, allowing fraudsters access to your data.
These run-of-the-mill occurrences may turn out to be just that but reporting them to your mobile phone provider can help prevent fraud. They can check for any recent unusual activity on your account, implement additional security checks, and take necessary steps in fraud has occurred.
Your service provider can also help you set up a SIM lock, which helps to prevent fraudsters using it in another phone. With a SIM lock, a PIN is required upon restarting the phone or after removing the SIM in order to make calls or send messages.
Be vigilant and think SCAM
Our Stop, Check, Act, Monitor (SCAM) approach is designed to help you protect what’s yours. Read our article to learn more.
For more information on what you can do to protect yourself from fraud, visit our security centre.
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