One of the most important parts about having an iPhone or Android is doing whatever you can to keep it safe, and that means not falling for scams.
However, cyber scams have become more and more complex and realistic, leaving people struggling to figure out what’s real and what’s fake. For instance, scam texts, calls, and emails can genuinely seem like they’re from someone’s bank, insurance company, or even someone’s friend. Therefore, some smartphone users give up their valuable information, and the losses can be devastating. We spoke to a tech and cybersecurity expert about three common scams that users can expect to see more of these days and how to avoid them. Read more about them below.
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3. Restarting Your Phone On A Weekly Basis
Believe it or not, how often you choose to restart your iPhone can make an impact on how much storage gets built up, as the longer your phone is on, the more RAM (random access memory) it stores.
"iPhones are secretly building up temporary files and stalled background processes the longer you keep your phone on," adds Athwal. "These are taking up RAM and slowing your system down, especially for older devices. A quick restart will clear it all up and give your device a performance boost."
2. SMS Phishing & Impersonation Scams
One of the scariest forms of cyber scams is phishing and impersonation ones, where a hacker or untrustworthy organization will send you messages or call you pretending to be your bank, your go-to browser/email provider, phone provider, etc., to get some information from you.
"These messages often look authentic and use urgency, like, 'Your account will be locked in 2 hours,' to push quick action," notes Kimuli. "Clicking the link can lead to credential theft or malware installation. Never tap links in unsolicited texts, even if they look official. Instead, log in through the organisation's real website or app to check for alerts. Enable two‑factor authentication so even if credentials are stolen, attackers can't easily access your accounts. Blocking unknown senders and reporting spam also reduces exposure."
3. Fake Wi-Fi & Hotspot Networks
If you are a fan of using Wi-Fi in public spaces or work on the go and often use your smartphone's hotspot, tech pros are warning you to be extra careful about which networks you choose to connect to.
"Cybercriminals set up Wi‑Fi networks that mimic legitimate public hotspots, like 'Costa_WiFi' or 'Airport_FreeWiFi,'" says Kimuli. "When users connect, attackers can intercept traffic, capture login details, or redirect them to fake login pages. This scam is rising because people rely heavily on public Wi‑Fi while travelling or working remotely."
"Avoid connecting to public Wi‑Fi without a trusted VPN, and never access banking or sensitive accounts on open networks," he adds. "If a hotspot doesn't require authentication or appears twice with similar names, treat it as suspicious. Using your mobile data or a personal hotspot is far safer than connecting to unknown networks."
