Criminals tend to follow the money. And in Brazil, this translates into types of robberies that, for a while, seem to become fashionable, as they remain in the headlines and on television newspapers for months, sometimes even years.
It is easy to remember when money was kept in bank branches and, because of that, we often heard about big bank robberies in the country. A criminal action of this magnitude was laborious. It involved huge gangs, strong armament, getaway cars, planning and some knowledge of engineering or architecture.
Over time, bank robbery has changed and criminals have found easier ways. One stage in this evolution was what became known in 2012 as "saidinha de banco", a robbery in which a victim was approached shortly after having withdrawn a large sum of money at a branch or ATM. Many people have died in Brazil because of this type of crime.
Another advance in the modus operandi of criminals filled the news around 2016: the explosion of ATMs. There were no more approaches, such as express kidnappings or robberies at the exit of branches. Criminals would go to the bank during the early hours of the morning, or to places that had ATMs, and use blowtorches or dynamite to blow up ATMs and take the money.
Now, there is a new modality, which requires no resources, nor great technological skills. Rob people who are using their smartphone to take their unlocked mobile phone.
The bank has migrated into our smartphones
It is no longer necessary to plan a Hollywood robbery to get your hands on the money. The criminal only needs a mobile phone.
Crime has brought a lot of headache to countless people. There are cases with huge financial losses. With access to all the victim's applications, criminals don't even need great technological tools to steal passwords. By posing as the owner of the device, they are able to rescue bank passwords. In one of the cases registered in São Paulo, the person who had his mobile phone stolen with the screen unlocked lost R$21,000 reais. Because the thieves made loans and bank transfers, and cleared the special limit.
How does this happen? After all, we know that bank applications are usually secure and it is difficult for criminals to alter facial recognition or biometrics. The method is simpler: just contact the bank, through the application's own chat, impersonating the victim remotely. The access is legitimate, so it is not difficult to conclude a financial negotiation.
Technology brings conveniences. However, there is a price: constant vigilance and awareness in the use of our devices.
Smartphones, in general, do not have enough protection to completely stop criminal actions of this type. But, there are some measures that, if taken, can raise the security level of your device, and your data.
In an age when the focus of kidnappings is no longer people but their phones, protecting yourself involves having some knowledge about device and application settings. The effort is worth it, after all, our mobile phones are true pocket computers and store almost all our information.
We've separated some guidelines to elevate the protection of the data you carry on your mobile phone.
How to protect yourself?
The information that is in emails, SMS and even photos can lead to your money. The criminal sends emails to banks and brokerages asking for money transfers. And because they are using legitimate logins, they can pass themselves off as the owner of the phone without any problem. In bank apps, they can click on the "forgot password" link and register a new one.
You can even have a second mobile phone, such as an older handset, to use the banking apps. The idea is not to take it with you when you leave home. It's also important to always close banking apps properly. It's not enough to just exit the app, you need to access the iOS or Android window manager and close it.
But, that's not enough. You need to reinforce the main mobile phone's protections. Here are some guidelines that may help:
- Put a password on the SIM card in your device. On Android, go to Settings, Security, SIM card lock and Require PIN . On iPhone, click Settings, Mobile and SIM PIN. Remember that to do this, you'll need a code called PUK. It's on a plastic card, which came along with your SIM card. If you threw it away, you need to go to the shop to recover it;
- Also block the SMS app itself, so that it always asks for a password or a fingerprint. On Samsung or Xiaomi, just go to the settings menu and look for the item App Lock or Secure Folder. choose the apps that will receive this second protection. The SMS app is usually called "Messages". On mobile phones without this option, the ideal is to install an application that makes this protection. An example is Norton App Lock, from Symantec. On iOS, there is no simple way to create this protection. But you can strengthen the protection by Screen Time.
- Protect critical apps. Gmail, Play Store, the device's own Settings area, delivery and e-commerce apps also need to be shielded. In the protection app, or in the App Lock and Safe Folder systems on Xiaomi and Samsung, just select what you want to protect. This prevents access by an unauthorised person if the phone is stolen;
- Write down the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) of the device. This is a 15-digit number that identifies your phone. It is the number that the operator will ask you to block the device if it is stolen. On iPhone or Android, open the phone call application and type *#06# on the keypad. The IMEI will be displayed on the screen. Write it down and keep the paper in a safe place;
- Disable Siri and Control Center on the locked screen. Experts will be able to take advantage of the default lock screen feature to access personal information through Siri and prevent tracking through Control Center. Siri can hand over personal information to anyone who finds your lost iPhone. To prevent this kind of thing from happening, it's best to disable the use of Siri from the locked screen;
- Set up the "remote destruction" feature on your phone. If your device is Android, open your computer, go to Google and type find my phone. A map will open showing the approximate location of your phone. Click on Set up protection and wipe to activate the remote phone monitoring feature. For iPhone, access iCloud with your Apple login and password and click Search iPhone to check if everything is ok;
- Delete sensitive information. Take a look at your messages. Log into Gmail, for example, and search for information like "social security number" or "password. Delete what you find of sensitive information. The same thing, in your SMS.