Punting phone- smart or dumb?

[MysticP]

Saw a post online where someone (in the UK) was held on knife point and asked to transfer all his money from his phone banking apps. He had to part away with all his savings. He was reluctant to go to the police, so quite a few people on the sub suspected he might have been seeing an escort.

Made me think how do punters prepare for such situations. I know a lot of us use a separate phone but how many use a dumb phone (not a smart phone) phone?

I am still using an old Samsung phone as my punting option but will have to think about a simple one.

[Ghost89]

Saw a post online where someone (in the UK) was held on knife point and asked to transfer all his money from his phone banking apps. He had to part away with all his savings. He was reluctant to go to the police, so quite a few people on the sub suspected he might have been seeing an escort.

Made me think how do punters prepare for such situations. I know a lot of us use a separate phone but how many use a dumb phone (not a smart phone) phone?

I am still using an old Samsung phone as my punting option but will have to think about a simple one.

It’s for this very reason I opted for a cheap burner that has no app capabilities at all. Paid £30 for it from Tesco. The issue comes if you still take your regular phone with you if you need it for satnav duties or Apple or Google pay.

[standardpostage]

Never heard about being robbed via banking app. Learn something every day.
Criminals always one step ahead of police.
Therefore dumb phone is best.
Good information. If possible ? leave smart phone at home / somewhere safe.

[southcoastpunter]

Therefore dumb phone is best.

or just don't have any banking apps on your punting phone - and as you say, leave your "proper" phone at home or hidden in the car etc.

Mind you, i don't think the Op will see our words of wisdom!!!

[ZeroCount]

or just don't have any banking apps on your punting phone - and as you say, leave your "proper" phone at home or hidden in the car etc.

This is the right answer. I don't know how anyone can be get by with a dumb phone for a punting phone, unless you also take along your main phone, which kind of defeats the object.

I use mine for Google Maps, train tickets, emails, WhatsApp, checking Adultwork. If I left that trail of stuff on my regular phone, I may as well just announce to the Mrs on the way out "I'm off to bone a hot young Thai lass, I'll be back in time for tea".

[big-al93]

This is the right answer. I don't know how anyone can be get by with a dumb phone for a punting phone, unless you also take along your main phone, which kind of defeats the object.

I use mine for Google Maps, train tickets, emails, WhatsApp, checking Adultwork. If I left that trail of stuff on my regular phone, I may as well just announce to the Mrs on the way out "I'm off to bone a hot young Thai lass, I'll be back in time for tea".

Go on, try it  Might turn out better than you could have imagined.

Clean smartphone for me (i.e. hardly any apps, no link to main phone) tried using a dumbphone that I used to really like back in the day, but texting on it was horrible. PAYG sim with no internet, but hotspot from my main phone if needed.

[Munter84]

I used to use a dumbphone, I found myself bringing along my real phone for Google Maps which kind of defeats the point. Also its much easier to ping-pong messages with WhatsApp than text.

A bit of due diligence required to make sure none of your normal accounts are linked to your punting smartphone, but it can be done.

[ppunterr]

Dumb phones were fine but recently noticed an uptake in SP's using Whatsapp more. Much quicker and easier no PAYG cost if using Wifi.

An unpopular option but I use the Secure Folder on Samsung and have a separate set of apps there like WhatsApp, maps, contacts so I can pretty much keep the 2 sides separate without having another phone. Pretty sure I'd get done by the OH if I get caught with a 2nd phone.

[newhere456]

I used to have a dumb punting phone, but texting was a real pain and I missed having google maps.  I now use a smart punting phone but with just the basics installed, mapping, translation, whatsapp and that's it.

[maybe]

Never heard about being robbed via banking app. Learn something every day.
Criminals always one step ahead of police.
Therefore dumb phone is best.
Good information. If possible ? leave smart phone at home / somewhere safe.

Now i'm considering whether to delete banking apps from my main phone as well. If money is transferred directly from your account, its very difficult to recover as you wasn't scammed. I'm unsure if that is still the case if it was under duress with your life under threat.

[Collingwood]

This is timely and  maybe worth a read for some of us .
External Link/Members Only

[MissWolf]

This is timely and  maybe worth a read for some of us .
External Link/Members Only

Article is behind a paywall or subscription so can't read 

[standardpostage]

This is timely and  maybe worth a read for some of us .
External Link/Members Only

Tell us what it says in a few short words, please 

Can't read without paying 

[daviemac]

Tell us what it says in a few short words, please 

Can't read without paying 

There you go. I nearly lost the will to live reading it mind.

External Link/Members Only

[Landscape]

I find trying to text on a feature phone a chore so use a basic smartphone so I can call, text and send a picture if need be.

Thanks for posting the link Davie and you're right, it is a bit on the dry side.

The gist of it to save anyone else the bother of reading it is: Police will give you an incident number for insurance purposes and that's it. Locked phones will be sold on and unlocked phones with financial apps on will have their accounts emptied.

[standardpostage]

There you go. I nearly lost the will to live reading it mind.

External Link/Members Only

Thanks, just had a slow read, interesting. I will be more careful with my phone now.

[maybe]

There you go. I nearly lost the will to live reading it mind.

External Link/Members Only

thanks for unlocking the link, its shocking and worrying read. Definitely have to be more careful whilst out and about.

[Jujy78]

Is this incident true? I'm sure if you were to part ways with all your savings in one go bank will get suspicious and block the transaction till they can get hold of you. But I could be wrong or it maybe how good your bank is when it comes to fraud prevention. Anyway not sure having a burner phone is the right idea but you can hide your apps on your phone. I hide all my banking apps in a secure folder password protected. You can rename it from secured folder to whatever you want that's not suspicious like music. So if someone was to try to make me do something like that I'll just say I don't do online banking I'm old style (maybe not believable) but they can go through the phone if they want. But I definitely don't store my cards on the phone and do that tap thing. Id rather pay with my card than my phone. Technology is good but not always.

[Watts.E.Dunn]

Bloke i know had someone snatch his phonre but he caught them! they had a few broken fingers as a souvenier lucky he didnt half kill them he was in a SAS like outfit in the army;)..

[deg_dilemma]

I just signed up to Hushed and sent 4 or 5 text messages to SPs and then got banned for 'spamming' !  So that was a crap first attempt at using a 2nd line on my own phone.

[ppunterr]

I just signed up to Hushed and sent 4 or 5 text messages to SPs and then got banned for 'spamming' !  So that was a crap first attempt at using a 2nd line on my own phone.

Try TextMe. You get credit for watching videos so no need to actually top up with real money!

[deg_dilemma]

Try TextMe. You get credit for watching videos so no need to actually top up with real money!

Do u have to pay for the initial number? Or any kind of annual fee?

[ppunterr]

Do u have to pay for the initial number? Or any kind of annual fee?

No. Not paid a penny on this app for over a year and managed my punting needs!

[Pointless]

I used to have a dumb punting phone, but texting was a real pain and I missed having google maps.  I now use a smart punting phone but with just the basics installed, mapping, translation, whatsapp and that's it.

Same, I have OsmAnd Maps instead of Google Maps as it doesn't need an internet connection and doesn't have the tracking that Google Maps does. I want to use Signal instead of WhatsApp as that doesn't track you but no-one else uses it making it a bit pointless!

[Bassman]

If it’s smart just don’t have any banking apps on it. None at all. Any thief would see by flicking through it there’s nothing there.

[Demon8]

Punting phone is a smart idea, but it should have minimal apps on there - a maps app and maybe WhatsApp are about all you need on there. Maybe Spotify with a trial account and YouTube incase you're taking a long train journey.

It just makes sense from a safety point of view when punting - you enter with the name Paul but you forgot to turn your Bluetooth off and now everyone in the surrounding rooms can see that you are Alan.


It also makes a lot of sense if you are also dating women or are in a relationship or marriage. Simply state you've dropped your phone and need the screen replaced so you picked up a cheap smartphone in the meantime (put your SIM etc and details in initially, but deleted them ASAP). Use that phone around them regularly and then start using your normal phone again. Make your punting phone "safe", password protect the turn on etc and have all messages saved to the phones hard drive. Let it run down on battery between pints and now there's no emergency problems by her discovering you have a second phone.

[rhinot]

I just signed up to Hushed and sent 4 or 5 text messages to SPs and then got banned for 'spamming' !  So that was a crap first attempt at using a 2nd line on my own phone.

This has happened to me.
Contact Support. They will resolve. Just insist to them that you are not spamming or sending unsolicited text.
Think it happened twice to me. No problems for a few months now.
Hushed works well for me.