We use our phones for everything and these days our mobile numbers are tied to every part of our lives. Whether its social media, M-Pesa or you bank account, that information in the wrong hands can cause havoc in your lives.

Recently there has been a rising trend of conmen trying to get private information that would give them access to your mobile numbers. This can lead to your number being used for criminal activities, your money stolen or your information duplicated by criminals.

Protecting yourselves from mobile fraud does not require much and Safaricom has come up with a few rules to help ensure that you are safe.

Firstly, never disclose your phone pin. It is the main way to access everything on your phone and the first line of defense. Make sure you have a strong password and remember to change it regularly.

Secondly, Safaricom will never ask you for any of your passwords over the phone, so if anyone wants to know your pin for MPESA or mobile banking during a call, it is most definitely a scam. Another way to catch them out is that Safaricom will only ever call from 0722000000. If another number tries to call you, report them by sending a text message with the number to 333.

A general rule to also follow is that if it seems too good to be true, it most likely is. We all want to believe that we have won a little extra money especially during these hard times, but this is almost always a scam made evident quickly when they start to ask for your personal information.

Mobile fraud can happen to anyone, criminals are constantly coming up with new and advanced way to trick us. However, protecting ourselves does not require a lot of work. Just being aware of who contacts us and using secure passwords. #JichanueAndTakeControl