**Diary Entry: The Texts You Should Never Keep on Your Phone**
A phone in a fraudster’s hands is like leaving your wallet on a park bench in broad daylight—everything’s exposed, just waiting to be taken. Some messages are far too dangerous to keep. Here are three types you should delete immediately unless you fancy handing over your money, personal details, and peace of mind.
1. **Bank Codes and Passwords**
*”It’s just a one-time code—what harm could it do?”* thinks the naive user. Meanwhile, the scammer smirks: *”Cheers, mate.”*
The trouble is, even a few digits can give crooks a foothold, especially if they’ve already got snippets about you—your full name, phone number, online banking login. Gaining access is like solving a puzzle where every tiny clue matters.
So, here’s the rule: see a verification code? Use it, then delete it. No mercy. And empty the trash, too—deleted texts can linger in your Android or iPhone for weeks or even months.
2. **Photos of Personal Documents**
This includes your passport, driving licence, National Insurance number, bank card details—anything that could help someone impersonate you.
What do scammers do with these? Take out payday loans, buy SIM cards, register fake accounts, or even sell them on the dark web. One clear photo with legible details is all it takes to open a world of headaches. No *”I’ll delete it later”*—later is too late.
If you must save them, use a secure cloud with two-factor authentication or trusted storage like 1Password, NordLocker, or encrypted Google Drive folders.
3. **Private Chats with Sensitive Details**
PINs, card numbers, CVVs, home addresses, relatives’ phone numbers, security question answers (*”What was your childhood pet’s name?”*)—all these can be turned against you.
Scammers who get into your phone often head straight for your messages. If they strike gold—say, a chat with your mum where you’ve written *”the Wi-Fi password is the same as my card PIN”*—you’re done for.
Even if you stash such details in a note-to-self chat, that’s no safer. An unlocked phone in the wrong hands is a security disaster.
**Don’t Forget the Trash and Backups!**
Deleted doesn’t mean gone. Texts and files can lurk in your device’s memory or hide in automatic backups. Check your settings, disable risky auto-saves, and manually clear anything suspicious.
**Bottom Line:**
If it could cause trouble, don’t keep it on your phone—especially not in plain old texts. Your phone isn’t an archive, a safe, or a time capsule. It’s a gadget that can be lost, stolen, or hacked without warning.
So here’s the mantra: be paranoid, and you’ll sleep soundly.
Now, confess—do you regularly purge your messages? Or is yours a vault of incriminating evidence worthy of a Netflix true-crime special?
