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Phone Lockdown checklist

11 one-time settings that make a phone, and the number on it, harder to steal or scam. Most take a couple of minutes. Menu names differ between makers and versions, so the steps describe where to look.

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  1. Put a PIN on your mobile carrier account and turn on number lock

    With your name and a few details, a scammer can ask your carrier to move your number to their SIM or to another carrier (SIM swapping, port-out fraud). Then your texted sign-in codes go to them.

    iPhone

    Call your carrier or open its app or website and ask for an account PIN or passcode, plus "number lock", "port-out protection" or "SIM protection" if it offers it.

    Android

    Same as iPhone: this is set on your carrier account, not on the phone.

    Source: FCC consumer guide: SIM swapping and port-out fraud

  2. Turn on a SIM PIN

    A SIM PIN stops someone who takes the SIM card out of your phone from using your number in theirs.

    iPhone

    Settings, then Cellular (or Mobile Service), then SIM PIN. You need the SIM's current PIN: carriers publish their default one.

    Android

    Settings, then Security (or Security and privacy), then More security settings, then SIM lock. Names vary by maker.

    Careful: Three wrong SIM PINs lock the SIM until you enter a PUK code from your carrier. Write the new PIN somewhere safe first.

    Good practice (no single source)

  3. Set a voicemail password

    Some voicemail lets in anyone calling from your own number, and caller ID can be faked. A password closes that door.

    iPhone

    Settings, then Phone (or Apps, then Phone), then Change Voicemail Password; or set it through your carrier's voicemail menu.

    Android

    Call your voicemail (hold 1) and use the settings or password option in the voicemail menu.

    Source: FCC consumer guide: Caller ID spoofing

  4. Turn on the phone's own spam-call filter

    Phones and carriers can send likely spam calls straight to voicemail or mark them before you answer.

    iPhone

    Settings, then Phone (or Apps, then Phone): look for Silence Unknown Callers or Screen Unknown Callers. Calls from contacts still ring.

    Android

    Open the Phone app, then its Settings, then Caller ID and spam (or Caller ID and spam protection) and turn filtering on.

    Careful: Silencing unknown callers can also silence a doctor's office or a delivery driver. Check voicemail.

    Source: FTC consumer advice: How to block unwanted calls

  5. Lock the screen with a passcode and face or fingerprint

    A lost or stolen phone without a lock opens your email, texts and banking apps to whoever holds it.

    iPhone

    Settings, then Face ID and Passcode (or Touch ID and Passcode): turn on a 6-digit or longer passcode.

    Android

    Settings, then Security (or Security and privacy), then Screen lock: choose PIN, pattern or password and add fingerprint or face.

    Good practice (no single source)

  6. Turn on automatic updates

    Updates fix security holes. A phone that updates itself does not wait for you to remember.

    iPhone

    Settings, then General, then Software Update, then Automatic Updates: turn on.

    Android

    Settings, then System (or Software update), then Software update: turn on automatic download where offered. Older phones may no longer get updates.

    Good practice (no single source)

  7. Turn on find-my-phone

    If the phone is lost or stolen you can locate it, lock it and erase it from another device.

    iPhone

    Settings, then your name, then Find My, then Find My iPhone: turn on.

    Android

    Settings, then Google (or Security), then Find My Device: turn on. Samsung phones also offer their own.

    Good practice (no single source)

  8. Use an authenticator app or passkey for email and banking where offered

    Texted codes go wherever your number goes. An authenticator app or passkey stays on your own phone. Whatever you use: never read a code out to anyone.

    iPhone

    In each important account (email first, then bank), open its security settings and choose an authenticator app or passkey.

    Android

    Same as iPhone: it is set in each account's security settings.

    Source: FTC (MilitaryConsumer.gov): What's a verification code and why would someone ask me for it?

  9. Agree the family call-back rule

    Scammers fake a relative in trouble, sometimes with a copied voice. Agree now: anyone who gets such a call hangs up and calls that person, or another relative, on a number already saved in the phone.

    iPhone

    Save the real numbers of the people you would call (the PhoneSupport.co card can print them). Some families also agree a code word.

    Android

    Same as iPhone.

    Source: FTC consumer advice: Scammers use fake emergencies to steal your money

  10. Register the number on the National Do Not Call Registry

    Legitimate telemarketers must stop calling numbers on the list. Scammers ignore it, so a sales call after you register is a warning sign in itself.

    iPhone

    Go to donotcall.gov (it is free) and register the number.

    Android

    Same as iPhone.

    Source: FTC: National Do Not Call Registry

  11. Know where to report

    Reports help the FTC and carriers spot and block scams. Forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) and report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

    iPhone

    To forward a text: touch and hold it, choose More, then the forward arrow, and send it to 7726.

    Android

    To forward a text: touch and hold it, then Forward (or Share), and send it to 7726.

    Source: FTC consumer advice: How to recognize and report spam text messages