Who doesn’t love escaping from the day for a bit by playing gaming apps from their phone? Still, in the age of hacking and identity theft, one can never be too careful when playing games online. Even when playing free apps like card games, gambling apps, or arcade games, you could put your personal or financial data at risk for hacking. According to experts, not only can hackers access your smartphone, but they can do so very easily without you knowing about it. Taking a few cautionary measures can protect your wallet and financial data so you can worry less and spend more time enjoying all the free apps you love to play.
How do hackers access my wallet even if I play apps for free?
At the end of the day, if a hacker wants access to your phone they can do it, and that’s even more true if you don’t use any type of security protection. Even when they can’t access your phone, hackers can still retrieve important data stored on your phone including your contacts, browsing history, emails, and, that’s right, your wallet. Plus, if you’ve ever made purchases using your tablet or smartphone, chances are that your phone stores and synchronises that data, making it susceptible to hackers. This can happen without the user’s knowledge and lead to unnecessary charges and credit card fraud.
But don’t panic...
We’ve come up with several quick and easy ways for you to protect yourself, and make you far less susceptible to hacking.
Ways to protect your wallet while playing free apps
1 - Avoid public Wi-Fi
Even when you play free apps, you still run the risk of sharing any information stored on your phone with hackers. You run an even higher risk while accessing internet from unsecured, public Wi-Fi networks in places like cafes, restaurants, and airports. Mobile devices will typically warn users when they access the internet from unsecure Wi-Fi. For example, iPhones will share an alert saying that the server identity cannot be verified and ask if you still want to connect. You will need to click “continue” in order to access the unsecure Wi-Fi. You can avoid sharing stored information and better protect your wallet by playing free games from a secure internet source at home or by using a quality VPN (Virtual Private Network). In this way, you can play free games without anyone spying on your important financial data.
2 - Install Updates
Older operating systems tend to have flaws that give hackers an easier opportunity to access your wallet information stored on your smartphone or tablet. Those critical vulnerabilities could mean the difference between protecting your wallet and credit card fraud. Updating your mobile device provides important security fixes that can avoid a breach on your mobile. Experts suggest installing updates to your operating system as soon as they come out.
3 - Avoid Malicious Apps
Plenty of free gaming apps do not harm phones at all, but unfortunately some may contain hidden applications with malicious code inside that allow hackers to access your wallet. Make sure to check the gaming app before you download it to your phone. You can simply search the app online to read reviews before downloading as a precaution.
Which brings us to our next point...
4 - Download Anti-Malware Protection
Malware poses a serious threat to your privacy and security. Anti-malware software scans, blocks, and eliminates malware such as viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, and so on that could end up in your mobile device after downloading hidden files. Avoid getting infected by running periodic scans on your device.
Although you can’t be 100% secure all of the time, taking a few simple steps can reduce the risk of a potential disaster like identity theft or credit card fraud. After all, gaming apps and mobile casinos are supposed to be fun and entertaining. Avoid the stress by adopting habits that safeguard financial information stored on your smartphones and tablets so you can worry less and play more.
