Mobile Security

Our phones are such a huge portion of our day to day lives these days, and they contain a lot of important info that you don’t want falling into the wrong hands.

Here’s a few crucial bits and pieces around keeping your phone (and that personal info) safe.

See our dedicated page for info on scams and phishing, or the this page for details on what to do if your phone is lost or stolen.

First things first: Set up a PIN

Make sure that you set up a PIN or password so that your phone is secure when not in use. For most devices this is offered during setup, but otherwise it will be under Settings or Security. If in doubt, check your phone’s user guide.

To avoid the PIN being easy to guess, steer clear of using consecutive numbers like 1234. Don’t tell your PIN to anyone else - if you do have to write it down, make sure it’s somewhere away from your phone.

Note: Before selling or giving away your mobile, be sure to perform a factory reset to erase all personal data. Also, either format or remove any memory card if it has one.

Online browsing and purchases

Before you buy anything online, it pays to:

1. Make sure the website is genuine (if you’ve stumbled across a deal that’s too good to be true, there’s probably a very suspicious reason)
2. Check customer reviews for both the store and product. If you can see there’s a high proportion of negative feedback, it’s best to look elsewhere.
3. If you decide to go ahead, be sure the payment page is secure (check for the padlock symbol at the top of the page next to the address bar)
4. Given a lot of online shopping these days is done via apps, it also pays to be cautious when downloading and installing apps that they can be trusted.

Credit card safety tips:

1. Don’t share credit card details with anyone else, and make sure you keep your credit card information stored safely. If you do have to write it down, make sure the PIN number isn’t written anywhere near the card itself.
2. If you’ve misplaced your phone, details on what to do can be found here here. Your bank will also be able to put a hold on your card if needed (most banks also offer this through their online banking now).
3. Check your credit card transactions online regularly and if you see anything unexpected, report the transactions to your bank.

These are just some brief tips, for more detailed info on how to protect your device and yourself from identity theft, visit the Consumer Protection Agency website.

Identity theft and avoiding it

When a person uses someone else's identity information to impersonate them, it's called identity theft.

This happening to you could mean the use of your personal details to gain credit without your knowledge. You may one day discover an account opened under your name with a company you’ve never dealt with. Often people only come across this info when applying for credit, and finding that they have an outstanding debt.

Ways to keep your identity safe:

1. Keep your ID safe and make sure you know where it is at all times. If it does go missing, make a report right away to both the Police and those who issued the ID. This could be the Department of Internal Affairs for your passport, or the NZTA if you lose your driver licence. Cancelling your ID immediately can help stop someone from using it fraudulently.
2. Don’t give too much personal information on your social media accounts, these are an easy way for fraudsters to gain vital details.

For security, Electric Kiwi may ask for your ID to make sure you are who you say you are. We store this info securely, and won’t share it with a third party for marketing purposes unless you give us your permission.

If your ID has been stolen and used to obtain service with us - email us at info@electrickiwi.co.nz. Include your full name and contact details so we can get in touch ASAP.