Criminals are targeting phones and codes to make money, and victims don’t know what to do next. Your phone contains sensitive data and, in the wrong hands, this can cause a lot of problems. Use your phone to open your front door, pay at the store and even start your car.

So what should you do if your phone is stolen and the thief gets your passcode?

Dan Ghazi, founder of DAG Tech, a cyber company that helps businesses protect their information, says there are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

“When your phone is compromised or someone gets access to it, it’s like you have a whole bunch of problems,” Ghazi said. “You have to be careful if someone can see your phone.” When criminals get your passcode, they can change your Apple ID password, disable the Find My iPhone feature and block access for you, Ghazi said.

“They will change facial recognition to their facial recognition. So, they can unlock the phone and, likewise, they can use Apple Pay; they can access your banking applications,” Ghazi said.

Experts say criminals seem to be targeting mostly iPhone users, but owners of Android devices aren’t entirely safe. Ghazi said iPhones are more in demand and have a higher resale value.

But Apple is struggling. Their iOS 17.3 update includes a new feature called stolen device protection, which is designed to protect your information if your phone ends up in the wrong hands.

“Stolen device protection prevents your Apple ID password from being changed for one hour, so you have an option to cancel the request,” Ghazi said.

“And you also can’t change someone’s Apple ID from a place they don’t normally frequent.” You need to make sure that this feature is enabled on your phone. Here’s how to do it: Go to your settings and under “face ID and passcode” set “stolen device protection”.

Ghazi also recommends enabling facial recognition on your devices for biometric protection.

How to keep your devices safe from criminals? What should be done to make the phone even more difficult for criminals to crack?

Do not save passwords in notes. Instead, download a password manager that encrypts the information.

Your screen lock time should be set to the fastest setting so it locks quickly after you put the phone down.

All your financial applications should be configured with multi-factor authentication.

If you meet a stranger and are trying to share your contact information, don’t give them your phone to add the number yourself.

Security experts say this could lead to a trap.They can hang up to make you enter your code – but if they see you enter the number, they can target you later when you least expect it.

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