In this age and era where your phone is not only a communication gadget but also a bank, wallet, health and fitness-tracking gadget and a powerful media outlet for many content creators, what could happen if you got locked out of your gadget?
Well, the thought of losing your phone or even misplacing it could send multiple signals to your brain as you figure out where and how you lost it. But, imagine a scenario where you physically have the phone but you are unable to do anything with it.
Chances are your phone is hàcked. Now, before we delve into the crux of this article, let us first look into the risk factors which could expose your phone to hàcking.
First off, if you love using free public wi-fi, you may just fall victim to hàckers. Hàckers usually target gullible prospects from public wi-fi outlets from where they could easily gain access to your gadget, change settings and even lock you out of your phone.
Secondly, you could fall prey if you are predisposed to opening any link that comes your way or downloading third-party apps. You would want to verify some of the links sent to your phone before opening them, no matter how enticing the promise is.
The most problematic for a Kenyan citizen is the SIM-swap scam where fraudsters convince your network provider to transfer your data to a gadget under their control, essentially locking you out of your account.
How to know
You will need to be observant with your phone. For example, if you notice your phone suddenly overheats and drains battery unusually, chances are you are not the only one using it. You are one of many users.
Secondly, observe your airtime usage, another way hàckers use is to drain your airtime with subscriptions you have no idea about. You would want to check on that as well.
Also, take a long hard look at your home screen. If you notice any unusual app which you do not remember downloading, chances are it has a purpose on that phone of yours and the faster you act, the safer for you.
Also, if you notice unusual pop-ups, prompts or authentication codes popping on your phone when you are sure they never originated from yourself, seek redress immediately.
Lastly, if the permission settings on certain apps suddenly change, you would want to be certain why they are the way they are. Mostly, you would find some apps giving access to your camera and microphone without your knowledge. A hàcker somewhere could be observing your every move and also listening to any conversation you have.
What to do
If you experience some of these symptoms of a hàck, it is prudent to immediately call your bank or financial service provider and inform them to observe any suspicious activity in your account.
Secondly, inform your friends and close contacts so that they do not fall for any individuals soliciting funds using your account.
After this, you may want to initiate the process of changing your passwords and logging out any other gadget which could be running on the previous passwords.
Also, you would want to delete all suspicious apps including the third-party apps you may have installed for your convenience.
If all these fail to achieve the desired result, you may be forced to take the ultimate step of resetting your phone to factory settings. while you will lose all the documents stored on the phone, it could be the last thing to do just to regain access to your phone.
