ASK THE DA: How to prevent cell phone thefts
I keep reading about the danger of electronic devices being stolen while riding the subways. I am not very knowledgeable about new technology but would like to keep as safe as possible. Can you offer advice on how to best defeat a thief?
The Police Department offers many safety tips for subway riders including the use of designated waiting areas, riding in the conductor’s car and staying with other people during off-peak hours, remaining alert for staged distractions especially while listening to music, carrying your handbag or wallet up front, positioning yourself away from train doors and keeping electronic devices hidden from public view.
Another danger to avoid is scams being perpetrated with the use of fraudulent messages send to your smartphone via text messaging that attempt to get you to reveal sensitive information such as account numbers and passwords.
Common messages of this nature often appear to require immediate attention, and may present a formal tone such as a message from your bank informing you to call a designated number to reactivate your account which has been closed.
Another common scam is a notification that you have been enrolled for a service for which you will be charged unless you visit a website and take action. The website will of course prove to be fraudulent. Yet another deceptive practice involves receiving a message confirming a purchase that you in fact never made and directing you to contact a number to remedy the error.