Smartphones are everywhere these days.
In fact, you probably have one in your pocket or purse right this very minute.
Have you ever stopped to think about what could happen if your phone ever gets lost or stolen?
First of all, anyone who happens to end up with your phone could use it to scam your friends and countless strangers, making it appear that you’re the culprit.
And if you use your phone to receive Two-Factor Authentication codes for your online accounts (which I strongly recommend), ALL of those protected accounts would be wide open to any dishonest family member, casual acquaintance or hacker who happens to know your passwords.
Do you use your phone to shop at Amazon or some other online retailer? Most folks do these days.
Well guess what? If your phone happens to fall into the wrong hands that person could use it to place fraudulent orders using YOUR account and payment information and have the merchandise sent to them!
Do you have your accounts set up to text you or send you an email alert every time an order is placed from your account? Well, the thief (not you) would receive those alerts as well!
And finally, remember all those awesome (and perhaps private) photos you have stored on your phone?
Any person who manages to gain access to your phone will be able to see them, copy them, forward them…
You get the picture (please pardon the pun).
To be sure, a lost or stolen smartphone can easily put your entire life as you know it at risk.
Luckily, there’s a very easy way to prevent that from happening…
All you have to do is put a PIN on your Android phone or a Passcode on your iPhone.
Note: PINs and Passcodes are basically the same thing so I’ll use the term PIN from here on out for the sake of simplicity.
Simply put, a PIN will lock snoops and crooks out of your phone and prevent them from using it in any way.
The acronym PIN is short for Personal Identification Number. You can think of it as a form of password.
If you have a debit card or credit card you’re surely familiar with how PINs work.
Once you have activated a PIN on your phone any person who happens to gain access to your phone will need to know the PIN before they’ll be able to access anything contained on the device or use it in any way.
Without the PIN your phone will be totally useless to any person who possesses it.
They won’t be able to view any of your information or photos, use any of your apps, access any of your online accounts, or even send a text or place a simple phone call.
In other words, your smartphone will be about as useful as a brick if the person who has possession of it can’t enter the PIN!
Bottom line: If you’re like most people these days, your smartphone is probably the gateway to everything you do online.
A strong PIN will protect your phone and all the info that’s stored on it from any and all snoops and miscreants who would love to use it for nefarious purposes.
Yes, it’s true that having a PIN on your phone will make it slightly less convenient to use, but if you’ve ever had to deal with a fraudulent transaction or had your identity stolen you know what true inconvenience is.
Protect yourself by enabling a PIN on your phone. Trust me, you’ll never regret it (just make you never forget your PIN!)
Bonus tip: If your phone supports PINs that are longer than 4 digits, I strongly suggest that you take advantage of that fact.