Phone advice: To protect you against cybercrimes

Use strong passcodes. If you’re one of the many smartphone users who’ve taken no steps to protect data on their phones, it’s time to stop putting yourself at risk of identify theft or other crimes. Start by creating a password that contains a combination of at least six letters, numbers, and symbols. Thieves can crack a four-character passcode in about 20 minutes.

Never shop on unsecured Wi-Fi. “Public Wi-Fi is fine for surfing,” but shopping on an open connection leaves your transactions vulnerable to interception. Turn off your phone’s Wi-Fi and use its 3G or 4G connection instead. For extra protection, try a Virtual Private Network like Astrill ($70 a year), which will encrypt all data you send.

Be smart about apps. Download apps only from credible sources, like Apple’s App Store, Google Play, or Amazon’s App Store.

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Source: ShopSmart