That free Wi-Fi at the cafe, the airport or the mall is very hard to resist.
You're paying for it, just not with money.
What can someone actually do on an open network?
An open network is one you join without a password.
The traffic in the air is not locked to you alone.
Someone nearby can see which sites and apps you are using.
They can spin up a fake hotspot with the same name as the real one.
They can catch your login on any site that isn't secure.
And they can send you to fake sign-in pages that look exactly like the real thing.
The fake hotspot is the nastiest of these, because your phone can't tell the difference.
It just sees a familiar name and joins.
Is this really worth worrying about?
For scrolling news or checking the cricket score, honestly, no.
For your bank, your UPI app, or anything where an OTP arrives, yes.
An OTP typed into a fake sign-in page is an immediate, real loss.
The rule is simple.
The more a screen is worth, the less it belongs on public Wi-Fi.
What should I do instead?
Use mobile data for banking and OTPs.
Your own mobile connection is not shared with strangers in the room.
Ask staff for the exact network name before joining.
That one question defeats most fake hotspots.
Turn off "auto-join" for open networks so your phone stops connecting to things without telling you.
Use a trusted VPN if you're on public Wi-Fi a lot.
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, wraps your connection so nobody else on that network can read it.
What about networks that ask for my number?
Some airport and mall networks send you an OTP just to let you online.
That is a login for their system, and it isn't a threat by itself.
Just make sure the network name came from staff or from proper signage.
Guessing from the list on your phone is how people join the fake one.
When you leave, tell your phone to forget the network.
Otherwise it will quietly rejoin next month without asking you.
Free to join doesn't mean free to trust.
Things to Remember
- Do your banking and OTPs on mobile data, not public Wi-Fi.
- Ask staff for the exact network name before you join.
- Turn off auto-join for open networks.
- Use a trusted VPN if public Wi-Fi is part of your routine.
- Forget the network once you have left the place.