Martin Lewis issues urgent mobile phone warning to people with online banking
The consumer champion is urging people to change one common notification setting to help protect their money.
Martin Lewis has shared five simple, but crucial changes everyone with a mobile phone should make to prevent thieves accessing your bank accounts and personal date if it is stolen. During the latest episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, the consumer champion warned that mobile phone theft has increased by 40 per cent in London and is rising across the UK.
He told ITV viewers: “There are thieves who want to access your finances by your phone. It is growing. It is dangerous. Protect yourself please people.”
The financial guru explained the steps everyone with an iPhone or Android device should take to make sure their money is safe and urged everyone to be on the lookout for ‘shoulder surfers’ - crooks who peer over your shoulder as you unlock your device.
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Martin said: “The crucial thing is they’re not just trying to nick your phone, some of them are trying to access your financial data from your phone. You have to protect yourselves on this folks.”
Martin’s top tips include:
- Use remote tracking apps to locate device and suspend payments
- Enable biometrics on both phone and banking app - if you use a pin, make sure they are not the same
- Dial *#06# to get your IMEI number, screenshot it and save it
- Turn off ‘preview notifications’ to protect your lockscreen
- Check out your phone’s extra security protections
Martin urged people to enable Face ID or fingerprint ID on your mobile phone and your banking app. He added: “If you’re not going to and you’re a pin code type person, please use different pin codes for the phone and the banking app. It's called ‘shoulder surfing’ these days where people look over your shoulder to see your pin code and then if you use the same code for both, they can access your money.”
He also explained that by typing *#06# and saving a screenshot of your IMEI number you can then give that information to the police to help trace your phone if it’s stolen. Martin also suggested emailing it to yourself so you’ve always got a copy of it.
But he said the most important thing everyone can do to protect their money is to take off preview notifications from your lockscreen.
Martin explained: “I think this is possibly the most important one.
“You know when you pay for something they (bank) send you a code on your phone through two-step verification - many people have that appear on their lock screen so when your phone’s locked the code still appears. You don’t want that, it means if someone takes your phone they can get a code.”
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To stop the possibility of this happening, Martin said: “Turn off your preview notifications. It was still tell you’ve had a message but it won’t give you the code on the message, you do that in your settings - everybody please do that one. It’s a nightmare if you’ve not done it.”
He also urged everyone to check out the extra security protections offered by providers.
You can catch up with the latest edition of The Martin Lewis Money Show Live on the STV Player or ITVX.