Criminals tend to follow the money. And in Brazil, this translates into types of robbery that, for a while, seem to become fashionable, as they remain in the headlines and newspapers on television for months, sometimes even years.
It's easy to remember when money was kept in bank branches and, because of this, we often heard about major bank robberies in the country. A criminal action of this size was laborious. It involved huge gangs, heavy weaponry, getaway cars, planning and some knowledge of engineering or architecture - after all, the aim of the bandits was to crack well-protected safes.
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was what became known in 2012 as "saidinha de banco", a robbery in which a victim was approached shortly after having withdrawn a large sum of money from a branch or ATM. Many people have died in Brazil as a result of this type of crime.
Another advance in the modus operandi of criminals hit the news around 2016: the ATM explosion. There were no more approaches like lightning kidnappings or robberies outside branches. Criminals would go to the bank at dawn, or to places that had ATMs, and use blowtorches or dynamite to blow up the ATMs and take the money.
Now there's a new method that requires no resources and no great technological skills. Stealing from people who are using their smartphone in order to take their unlocked cell phone.
Banking has migrated to our smartphones
It's no longer necessary to plan a Hollywood heist to get your hands on the money. All the criminal needs is a cell phone.
Crime has caused a lot of headaches for many people. There are cases of huge financial losses. With access to all the victim's applications, the criminals don't even need any major technological tools to steal passwords. By impersonating the owner of the device, they are able to retrieve bank passwords. In one of the cases recorded in São Paulo, the person whose cell phone was stolen with the screen unlocked lost R$21,000. This was because the thieves took out loans and bank transfers and cleared the special limit.
How does this happen? After all, we know that bank apps are usually secure and it would be difficult for criminals to alter facial recognition or biometrics. The method is simpler: just contact the bank, via the app's own chat, posing as the victim remotely. The access is legitimate, so it's not difficult to conclude a financial negotiation.
Technology brings convenience. However, there is a price: constant vigilance and awareness in the use of our devices.
Smartphones generally don't have enough protection to completely prevent criminal actions of this kind. But there are some measures that, if taken, can increase the level of security 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 of device and application settings. The effort is worth it, after all, our cell phones are real pocket computers and store almost all of our information.
We've put together some guidelines to improve the protection of the data you carry on your cell phone.
How to protect yourself?
Information in emails, SMS and even photos can lead to your money. Criminals send emails to banks and brokers asking for money transfers. And because they are using legitimate logins, they can impersonate the owner of the phone without any problems. In banking apps, they can click on the "forgot password" link and register a new one.
You can even have a second cell phone, such as an older device, to use banking applications. The idea is not to take it with you when you leave the house. It's also important to always close banking apps properly. You don't just have to exit the app, you have to access the iOS or Android window manager and close it.
But that's not enough. You need to reinforce the protections on your main phone. Here are some guidelines that may help:
- Put a password on the SIM card. On Android, go to Settings, Security, SIM card lock and Require PIN. On the iPhone, click on Settings, Cellular and SIM PIN. Remember that to do this, you'll need a code called PUK. It's on a plastic card that came with your SIM card. If you've thrown it away, you'll need to go to the store to retrieve it;
- Also block the SMS app itself, so that it always asks for a password or fingerprint. On Samsung or Xiaomi, simply 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 application is usually called "Messages". On cell phones without this option, it's best to install an application that provides this protection. One example is Symantec's Norton App Lock. On iOS, there is no simple way to create this protection. But it is possible to reinforce the protection with Screen Time.
- Protect critical applications. 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 Secure Folder systems on Xiaomi and Samsung, just select what you want to protect. This prevents unauthorized access if the phone is stolen;
- Make a note of the device's IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity). This is a 15-digit number that identifies the phone. It's the number that the operator will ask you to block if the device is stolen. On your iPhone or Android, open the phone calls app and type *#06# on the keypad. The IMEI will be displayed on the screen. Write it down and keep it in a safe place;
- Disable Siri and Control Center on the locked screen. The more experienced will be able to take advantage of the standard lock screen feature to access personal information via Siri and prevent tracking via 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 in 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. In the case of an iPhone, access iCloud with your Apple login and password and click on Find iPhone to check that everything is OK;
- Delete sensitive information. Go through your messages. Log into Gmail, for example, and search for information such as "social security number" or "password". Delete whatever sensitive information you find. The same goes for your SMS.