Let's be careful with our cell phone!?

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It's on the way to the subway, coming back from work, going to the gym, waiting for the bus...it is in these or other situation that we can find people in public places using their smartphones.

Are you one of them?

I have to admit, i don't have the courage to do this. Personally, when i am walking in my neighborhood, i leave my phone at home. If i am going to a far place by Uber/99, then i take it with me...

So Vitor, what you are trying to say? You want to obligate us to stop doing this? You think i am going to stop using my phone the way i want in public places because of this?

Calm down! I am here just to make you reflect a little!

There’s no doubt that no human on the planet can live without their smartphone nowadays. They give us access to information we never had before. We browse the internet, store our photos, use apps to help us in our daily lives, and much more. But before being careless on the street or in any public place, have you ever stopped to think about the kind of information stored on your phone or the loss you could face if it were stolen?

Think about it! Those pictures of your spouse, your kids, your family, your friends — aren’t they important to you? Would you want them to fall into the hands of just anyone? Someone you don’t even know and have no idea what they could do with them? And what about your contacts list — which often includes entries like Mom, Dad, Uncle, Aunt... that’s all a criminal needs to try to fool your family by pretending you’ve been kidnapped.

Believing you’ll now reflect on this a bit more, here are a few tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of this kind of exposure:

• Avoid using your phone while walking in public areas. Besides drawing attention to it, distracted people are an easy target for criminals;

• Ordering an Uber or 99 from somewhere? Try to wait inside the store or building you're in, instead of standing outside holding your phone;

• If a stranger suddenly approaches saying they don’t have a phone and need to make a call, be cautious and avoid lending yours;

• Always keep a screen lock enabled on your phone, preferably using biometrics such as fingerprint or facial recognition;

• Enable “Find My Device” or equivalent, which allows you to track and lock your phone if it’s lost or stolen;

• Avoid saving contacts with labels like "Home", "Wife", "Dad" or "Mom”. Criminals could use this information to manipulate your loved ones. Instead, save contacts using their actual names. For example, if your son’s name is Jorge, save it as “Jorge” — not “Son.”

  
  

So, besides following these tips, be extra attentive when walking down the street. Always look around — someone could be following you and you might not even notice.

To strengthen the message of this article, I recommend a short documentary on YouTube, where a security expert analyzes what a thief does when he finds a purposely "lost" iPhone. It’s definitely worth watching: