We make things simple
Your phone is gone, taken from a pocket or left in a cab. You block the SIM, and change your passwords. But the phone itself can still be sold and used with someone else's SIM. Unless you block it, too. How can a phone be blocked? Every phone has a unique number called an IMEI. โฆ
"Dear customer, your account will be blocked today. Update your KYC now." There is a link, or a number to call. It looks urgent, and the bank's name is right there. This is one of the most common messages scammers send in India. Does my bank really need my KYC updated? Sometimes, yes. Banks do โฆ
You are halfway up a ghat road, and the signal bars disappear. The blue dot freezes. The next turn could be left, right or nowhere. Five minutes of preparation the night before would have fixed this. What is an offline map? It is a part of Google Maps saved onto your phone. Once saved, Maps โฆ
Wedding season, and a message arrives on WhatsApp. "You are invited! Please open the card." Attached is a file with a name like Wedding_Invitation.apk . That file is not a card. What is an APK file? It is an app installer for Android phones. Opening it does not show you a picture. It asks your โฆ
You pay โน20 for chai and type your UPI PIN. Then โน40 for an auto, and the PIN again. By evening your bank statement is a long list of tiny payments. UPI Lite was made for exactly these. What is UPI Lite? It is a small balance inside your UPI app, loaded from your bank โฆ
You hang up on a fake "TRAI officer" and feel pleased you did not fall for it. But tomorrow, the same number will call someone else. Someone who might. There is a government service where you can report it in a couple of minutes. What is Chakshu? It is part of Sanchar Saathi, the Department โฆ
You type your passcode on a crowded train, a bus, or at a restaurant table. Someone nearby watches, then takes the phone. With your passcode, they can change your Apple account password and lock you out of everything. Apple added a feature to stop exactly this. What does Stolen Device Protection do? It adds extra โฆ
You spent an evening deleting hundreds of photos. Then you checked storage, and it barely moved. It is not your imagination. Most of those photos have not actually gone anywhere yet. Where did my deleted photos go? Into a bin. Phones keep deleted photos for a while, in case you change your mind. On an โฆ
The caller says he is from your mobile network. There is a problem with your SIM, or your network is about to be upgraded. To fix it, you just need to dial a short code and a number. It feels harmless, because you are only pressing keys on your own phone. What does the code โฆ
The call says a parcel in your name has been caught with drugs. Or your Aadhaar has been linked to money laundering. Then a "police officer" appears on a video call, in uniform, in what looks like a police station. You are told you are under "digital arrest" and must not leave the camera or โฆ