In our high-tech world, thieves are always finding new ways to steal and, while many of us realize that giving out our address or social security numbers is risky, most of us willingly provide our cell phone numbers without even thinking twice.
A Canadian article discussed why this could be dangerous. Have you ever been asked to enter your cell phone number for any reason? I was at a concert last November and they told us to text our phone numbers to a certain code for a chance to win backstage passes and send the band a message. I did it without even thinking but, truth be told, I could have been signing up for something I didn’t necessarily want.
Some consumers have been complaining that they have been signed up “for pricey text message schemes after entering their cell phone number through games and quizzes” and I can see how that could be something very easy for thieves to pull off.
This is particularly true in some parts of Europe where cell phone number are now used to pay for small services including parking and restaurant bills. It is probably only a matter of time before features like that become available in North America. In fact, there are already websites, like mobilegiving.ca, that allow used to type in their cell phone number to make a donation to a charity. That could very easily be exploited.
Long story short – be mindful of who you give your cell phone number to. It could cost you more than having to deal with an annoying person that you met at a bar.
image: Amazon
[...] Why You Should Protect Your Cell Phone Number (everyjoe.com) [...]
Reply
[...] out this California Bar Journal article from July 2008. Finally, you might also want to read this article about the importance of keeping your cell phone number as private as [...]
Reply
[...] Why You Should Protect Your Cell Phone Number (everyjoe.com) [...]
Reply