NetSafe reminds Kiwis to protect mobile devices

NetSafe reminds Kiwis to protect mobile devices as school holidays approach

NetSafe is reminding Kiwis to take care of their mobile devices as the Easter school holidays rapidly approach and families prepare to head off on road trips to visit relatives.

The national cybersafety organisation has recorded more than $1m lost to online scams during March and is seeing smartphones and tablets increasingly targeted.

Over the last month, New Zealanders have reported competition scams that arrive by txt and insist you install an app to enter and ‘free’ apps that then charge your credit card a monthly subscription fee.

“We know children often spend more time online during the school holidays playing games and using apps so it’s important that families take steps to secure and safeguard those devices too,” says Chris Hails, NetSafe’s Digital Project Manager.

“In 2014, we recorded $8m lost to a wide variety of online challenges,” says Hails. “This month people continue to lose money to investment and romance scams, suffer ransomware infections on their PCs and report widespread phishing attacks but it’s important to protect your mobile devices too.”

The physical loss of an expensive gadget is the most common concern for smartphone and tablet owners. However, families also need to consider carefully what apps they and their children are downloading, the information they are sharing and any costs that could be incurred through in-app purchases or sneaky terms and conditions.

Gaming company not ‘appy

Simon Rickwood is an Auckland-based entrepreneur who would strongly encourage Kiwis to look before they leap when it comes to installing free apps.

Rickwood’s business Game Play designs and builds arcade machines for home and business customers. His website, www.gameplay.net.nz, has been inundated with visitors since the start of this year but many of those contacting him are angry, frustrated and demanding an explanation for unexpected charges listed as ‘gameplay.net’ on their credit cards.

“At first I had no idea why these people were contacting me, my business sells gaming machines but we don’t take online payments at all,” said Rickwood.

“We were getting emails daily from Denmark, Sweden, the UK and France about credit card charges of up to $60 a month when people had installed a free app. I tried to explain that we had nothing to do with this US company but they kept on coming.”

“When I received complaints from Kiwis about these charges I started calling them to try and work out what was going on and to tell them it was nothing to do with my company. I’ve spent days dealing with this and want someone to stop the payments being taken. So many people must have lost money after agreeing to a 5 day free trial and entering their credit card information.”

Rickwood has now published a warning on his website to explain to visitors that his small New Zealand business has nothing to do with gameplay.net.

“The company behind these unexpected charges appears to have been based in America,” said Hails, “the problem is that their website has now be deleted. Simon has done everything he can to advise people who find they’ve unwittingly been charged a monthly subscription and we’re hoping that card companies will eventually stop payments from being taken."

If your credit card has been charged after installing a free app, speak with your bank about a chargeback. You can also review and query transactions made on your account in the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.

Protect your mobile devices

NetSafe offers the following advice for smartphone and tablet owners:

• Be cautious about what apps you install
Ask yourself “Is it wise to enter credit card details to get a free trial?” Stick with the official marketplaces to avoid installing malicious software and be cautious about what permissions are requested during the app installation process.

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• Be alert to your device behaving oddly
Think twice before installing apps to enter a competition that is marketed by spam txt messages. Check your account regularly to see if text messages – especially to premium rate or overseas numbers – are being sent without you realising. High unexplained data usage may also signify a problem with an app you have installed.

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• Keep your Android or iOS operating system up to date
Patching security vulnerabilities on smartphones and tablets helps protect them from malware threats. Using the latest operating system also gives you more options for setting up parental controls and preventing repeat in-app purchases.
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Read all 12 Tips for Protecting Your Digital Device at http://www.netsafe.org.nz/smartphone-security-12-tips-for-protecting-your-digital-device/.

For help with all kinds of digital challenges, contact NetSafe via the freephone telephone number 0508 NETSAFE or report an incident online at http://www.theorb.org.nz.

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