More and more smartphone owners are using their phones to make mobile payments. By storing credit or debit information on their phone, consumers can pay for goods and services, transfer money and receive receipts and confirmations from businesses. But, this could leave your personal information vulnerable and enticing to criminals.
To protect your information, BBB recommends:
- Password protect your phone. Most smartphones allow you to lock your phone with a password or screen pattern. Make sure this security measure is enabled for all mobile payment applications. If you lose your phone and someone takes it, this can prevent them from gaining access to your personal information.
- Consider disabling auto-populate features. Some phones have the option to automatically store your username and password for each application. Keep the feature off so you don’t make accidental purchases.
- Avoid making transactions over public WiFi. Public WiFi networks may not be secure and hackers could steal your personal information.
- Use a different password for each application. This adds more protection should someone steal your smartphone and attempt to access your mobile payment applications.
