Cell Phone Safety

The cell phone has become as indispensible for many of us as our computers. In fact, cell phones that are called smart phones now combine the functionality of computers and media players with the mobile convenience of cell phones – some kind of a Swiss Army Knife of gadgets. However, while cell phones continue to sell cheaper every year, it has become the target of many crimes that include theft, blackmail and even cyber crimes such as spamming and cyberbullying. Listed in this blog (the first of two, actually) are some safety tips that can make cell phones safe for you and your children.

Keep your phone with you at all times. Most cell phone thefts occur when they are left on desks or inside bags that are unattended. If you think that you will get too distracted to be bothered about your cell phone, leave it at home.
Keep your cell phone number private. Give your number only to close friends and family. Avoid posting your cell phone number on any of your public profiles on the net. Just like on the Internet, there are a lot of malicious people out there who mean to “stalk” or defraud you of your hard earned money through your SMS.
Know how to block calls and teach your children how to block others from calling their numbers.
Don’t lend your phone to anyone you do not know or do not trust or leave it anywhere where it could easily be taken by other people. In case of a real emergency, dial 911 yourself. You do not have to compromise somebody’s life just for you phone’s safety.
Lock your phone with a PIN code. If your cell phone lets you type in a PIN code before unlocking it, the better. This ensures that your phone would not be opened by others without your permission. This also protects all the vital information saved inside your phone like your friends’ and family’s numbers, photos and videos.
Be wary of scams that tell you that you’ve won a new car or a thousand bucks when you are not even aware of joining any raffle draws. Verify all text messages that you receive or better yet, if you don’t know the number, do not reply to it.
Avoid nuisance calls and annoying text messages by registering your phone for SMS spam and cold calling. Report any incident to an authority figure like a parent or teacher for a child, or the police and the network operator for adults.
Record your ESN (Electronic Serial Number) and/or your IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number which you can find by simply pressing *#06# on your phone. A 15-digit number will appear on your display and that is your IMEI number.
Mark your phone with something unique and identifiable by you. So that in case of theft, you can easily identify your phone and retrieve it.
In case of that your phone gets lost or stolen, immediately report it to the police and your network operator so that they could immediately block the phone’s use and to avoid additional charges.

Share these tips to your family and to your children especially if you have bought them a cell phone. In our next blog, we’ll list phone safety while on the go.