CREDIT CARDS
Data on Old Phones Risks Credit Card Fraud
Mobile phone users are at risk of credit card fraud when they sell on used phones without deleting their personal information, new research shows.
A new report from CPP reveals people are selling their personal information to complete strangers when they fail to destroy the SIM card in their secondhand mobile phone.
Over half (54%) of secondhand mobile phones contain extensive personal data which could lead to identity fraud.
The study examined secondhand phones and SIM cards purchased on eBay and used electronic shops, to find 247 pieces of personal data on a range of old phones and SIM cards. This information included credit and debit card PIN numbers, bank account details, passwords, phone numbers, company information and log in details to social networking sites.
“This report is a shocking wakeup call and shows how mobile phones can inadvertently cause people to be careless with their personal data,” said Danny Harrison, CPP mobile data expert.
“Consumers are upgrading their mobiles more than ever and it is imperative people take personal responsibility to properly manage their own data.”
Half of secondhand mobile phone owners said they had found personal information from a previous owner.
A further 81 percent of people claim to have wiped this information off their phones before selling them, and six in ten are confident they have removed the data. The experiment however reveals 54 percent of old phones and SIM cards contain sensitive information.
“Our experiment found that newer smartphones have more capabilities to store information and that information is much easier to recover than on traditional mobiles due to the increase of applications,” added Jason Hart, CRYPTOCard senior vice president.
People are urged to get a professional to delete the information or to destroy the SIM card, as personally deleting the information does not always get rid of the information.
Tags: bad credit credit cards, bank account, BANK ACCOUNTS, bank cards, basic bank accounts, compare credit cards, compare prepaid cards, compare prepaid cards online, compare prepaid credit cards, credit card fraud, credit cards uk, debit card spending increases, debit cards, prepaid debit cards, prepaid money cards, virgin money prepaid card