One new year’s resolution that everyone should make is to to take the steps necessary to provide greater security on their smart phones and other mobile devices.  As anyone familiar with my recent book “50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age” knows, identity theft is rampant on smart phones and other mobile devices as people who are careful to maintain the security of their computers fail to provide similar security protections on their smart phones and mobile devices despite the fact that many of us do many of our financial transactions on our smart phones and mobile devices and store much sensitive information on our smart phones and mobile devices such that if they are hacked into by an identity thief we are likely to become a victim of identity theft in short order.

TIPS

Although there are many considerations in purchasing a smart phone, it is important to recognize that the popular Android has probably the least secure operating system and is most popular with identity thieves.  You should also make sure that your smart phone or other mobile device provides for encryption of your data and use this feature to protect your information.  All smart phones and mobile devices come with a host of features, many of which you don’t use.  For security’s sake disable those features that you don’t use to eliminate those features as an avenue for identity thieves.  Use a password to lock your smart phone or mobile device and make sure that the password you use is a good combination of letters, digits and signs.  The word “password” is a lousy password.  Pick one that is easy to remember, but difficult for a hacker to guess, such as “Safety1st!!!.”  The added digit and multiple exclamation points make this a safe password.  Look into remote storage of your smart phone’s information in the Cloud and make sure that you backup your information.  Check with your particular smart phone or mobile device manufacturer to see what security software programs they advise.  There are many free ones that work well.  These may seem like excessive steps to take, but they are not.  These steps will help prevent you from becoming one of the many people who will become a victim of identity theft this year.