VERY VERY SERIOUS ISSUE

I'm only sharing this information because it's happened to me...

Some people will say it's my fault? Maybe or maybe not!!!

Last Christmas I was out with a friends and we met some other people. One young woman appeared to be known by a friend of mine. During the evening we were in a hotel and I was asked to lend my phone to a young lady who wanted to ring for what I thought was a taxi. She said she could not get a signal in the hotel so went outside. I thought she had gone a little too long and I walked outside but could not see her, and then she appeared and said she'd been in the ladies. Okay I thought no more about it. A few days later I noticed my banking app had gone off my phone, I really couldn't find it. I went to my home PC and logged into my bank and searched transactions and found £1800 transferrred out to a woman's bank account that I did not know. I rang the police and the fraud squad and they carried out investigations. The bank concluded it was my fault because she used the phone to transfer the money to her account and they said they could not recover it. The police took longer to investigate and rang me several times for more information advising they were gettting ready to go and arrest this woman, having spent some good time finding out where she was staying. A few phone calls later from the police and I'd by then also been given the opportunity to speak to my contract supplier of my phone, who walked me through Google data files that showed all the phone data that was used on my phone, yes Google keep records of everything. I told the police about this information and their officer said let me have a word with the sargent and come back to you! Big mistake telling the police about Google, why, because international law is bigger than Statute and the police officer rang me back and basically fobbed me off saying the file was being put on hold pending more information etc!!!

I never heard nothing more, until...

I was on the computer at work we use for DVSA MOT at work and over recent weeks I'd noticed that my user ID seemed to have gone missing from the log in page. I couldn't get my head round what the AE had done? I knew he'd done something as changes had occurred and he does not like his details with anybody elses, even to the point of filing his own mot inspection sheets seperately from anyone elses. So I started digging into it Friday afternoon to see if I could fathom out what he had done, which I didn't, but I found some other information out...

While searching through Google I came across my Autodata account that I setup with them about fifteen years ago. I was amazed to see my account details held on Google. I decided to record on my phone exactly what I was seeing, going through each section at a time ensuring that I missed nothing. Now when I agreed the contract with AD and they set the account up, I was responsible for the password to the account, so I saved it on my "HOME PC" thinking nobody had access to it, given its my home PC. Friday searching Google I came across my account held by Google, the account name and autodate's generated number was visible but the password was not, or so I thought? looking to the right hand side of the starred out password I could see an EYE symbol looking at me, so while recording and moving the mouce pad cursor over the EYE I then clicked it and HEY, my PASSWORD is on show to the GLOBAL GOOGLE community at LARGE. So then if anyone in a business sees the AD user name and number generated by AD, then all they have to do is go on Google and hey presto, your password is at large and they have free use of your account while your not at work!

The point...

If you have a banking app on your phone and you either loose your phone or lend it someone, your in deep sh1t. The banking app is NOT SAFE. Somebody knowing any basic details about you can Google search your details and pull out saved passwords and then help themselves. Yes this is VERY real and has happened to me. A couple of days ago the 6.00 o clock news was advising people also about online apps and their security and to take precautions.

This is my opinion...

It is irrelevant what any advisor, government, bank, friend, internet provider etc advises you, online systems are NOT secure and ARE NOT SAFE. 

Anybody taking out advise from banks about downloading their apps need to get in writing first from the bank that NO MATTER how your money goes missing via online transfers, the bank will pay ALL monies back when using their apps and services if and when it goes wrong. 

It's your call. Phones and online systems are very very dangerous, my advice, stay clear of them ALL.