Imagine your phone in the hands of a scammer—it’s like leaving your wallet wide open on a bench in Hyde Park. Everything’s out in the open, just waiting for someone to take advantage.
Here are three types of texts you should *never* keep on your phone unless you fancy handing over your cash, personal details, and peace of mind to some shady character.
1. **Bank codes and passwords**
*”It’s just a one-time code! It’s useless now!”*—says the naive user. Meanwhile, the scammer’s like, *”Cheers, mate.”*
The thing is, even a couple of digits can give crooks a lead—especially if they’ve already got bits of your info: full name, phone number, online banking login. Gaining access is like solving a puzzle, and every tiny clue counts.
So—see a verification code? Type it in, then delete it. No mercy. And *empty the bin* while you’re at it. Because on Android and iOS, deleted texts can linger for weeks, even months.
2. **Photos of your documents**
Passport, driver’s license, National Insurance number, bank card details—anything that could help someone *be* you.
What do scammers do with these? Take out payday loans, buy SIM cards, set up fake accounts, or even sell them on the dark web.
And just *one* clear photo with readable info is a one-way ticket to a world of hassle. So no *”I’ll just snap it for now and delete it later.”* Later’s too late—do it *now*.
If you *must* keep a copy, stash it in a secured cloud with two-factor authentication or use something like 1Password, NordLocker, or Google Files with encryption.
3. **Texts with personal or sensitive info**
PINs, card numbers, CVV, home addresses, family members’ numbers, security question answers like *”Your childhood pet’s name?”*—it’s all ammo against you.
If a scammer gets into your phone, they *will* rifle through your messages. And if they find a goldmine—like a chat with your mum where you’ve written *”Wi-Fi password’s the same as my card PIN”*—game over.
Even if you’ve tucked it away in a note to yourself? Still risky. A lost phone without a lock? Instant security breach.
**Oh, and don’t forget the bin and backups!**
Deleted doesn’t mean gone. Texts and files can hang around in memory or get saved in backups. Check your settings, turn off auto-sync for dodgy stuff, and clean up manually if you’re iffy.
**Bottom line:**
If it could bite you later, don’t keep it on your phone—especially not in plain old texts. It’s not an archive, a safe, or a time capsule. It’s a gadget that can get lost, nicked, or hacked in a blink.
So here’s the mantra: *be paranoid, and sleep easy.*
Now, fess up—do you *actually* clean out your messages? Or is yours a Netflix-worthy vault of secrets? 😉
