A jealous partner is a ticking bomb. Have you ever dated an insecure person? or suspect your boyfriend/girlfriend could be monitoring you and just seems to know almost everything you are doing at any given time, even without you mentioning it to them?
If your answer is yes, then this article is for you. I got you covered.
Few days ago, I saw one of the biggest revelations on a private Whatsapp group I am privileged to be part of, A sister shared the story of how her boyfriend installed malware on her phone for 6 months, listening to her phone calls, reading her messages, he had access to all her phone apps, including banking apps.
He was remotely controlling activities of her phone and she didn’t know till a fight broke out and he hit her then confessed out of anger .
An abusive partner or ex may be able to track you in detail through a secret app and keep tabs on all you do.
I shared the story on my Facebook page (Without mentioning the name of the sister of course) , and I was even confronted by more revelations; one sister actually said she cloned her boyfriend’s phone as well.
I was shocked, trust me the only place I have seen someone clone anyone’s phone is in Netflix series “YOU”, and that’s a totally different context because the character is a Narcissist and serial killer himself , aside his other ways.
Anyway, I did some digging deep to seek more knowledge as I can’t fathom why anyone would be so obsessed to a person they claim to love and monitor their lives that much. Well, I got you covered, here are 6 ways to know a jealous partner has hacked your phone according to an expert;
1. Noticeable decrease in battery life
While a phone’s battery life inevitably decreases over time, a smartphone that has been compromised by malware may start to display a significantly decreased lifespan. This is because the malware – or spy app – may be using up phone resources to scan the device and transmit the information back to a server.
Watch: 5 Ways To Stop Being A People Pleaser
2. Sluggish performance
Do you find your phone frequently freezing, or certain applications crashing? This could be down to malware that is overloading the phone’s resources or clashing with other applications. You may also experience continued running of applications despite efforts to close them, or even have the phone itself crash and/or restart repeatedly.
3. High data usage
Another sign of a compromised phone is an unusually high data bill at the end of the month, which can come from malware or spy apps running in the background, sending information back to its server.
4. Outgoing calls or texts you didn’t send
If you’re seeing lists of calls or texts to numbers you don’t know, be wary – these could be premium-rate numbers that malware is forcing your phone to contact; the proceeds of which land in the cyber-crim’s wallet. In this case, check your phone bill for any costs you don’t recognize.
5. Mystery pop-ups
While not all pop-ups mean your phone has been hacked, constant pop-up alerts could indicate that your phone has been infected with adware, a form of malware that forces devices to view certain pages that drive revenue through clicks.
Even if a pop-up isn’t the result of a compromised phone, many may be phishing links that attempt to get users to type in sensitive info – or download more malware. The vast majority of such pop-ups can be neutralised simply by shutting the window – though be sure you’re clicking the right X, as many are designed to shunt users towards clicking an area that instead opens up the target, sometimes malicious, site.
6. Unusual activity on any accounts linked to the device
If a hacker has access to your phone, they also have access to its accounts – from social media to email to various lifestyle or productivity apps. This could reveal itself in activity on your accounts, such as resetting a password, sending emails, marking unread emails that you don’t remember reading, or signing up for new accounts whose verification emails land in your inbox.
If this is the case, here is how to protect yourself
1.Since installing spy apps require physical access to your device, putting a passcode on your phone greatly reduces the chances of someone being able to access your phone in the first place. And since spy apps are often installed by someone close to you (think spouse or significant other), pick a code that won’t be guessed by anyone else.
2. Go through your apps list for ones you don’t recognize.
3. Keep in mind how you usually verify your identity with various accounts – for example, your bank will never ask you to input your full password or PIN.
4. Avoid clicking links from numbers you don’t know, or in curiously vague messages from friends, especially if you can’t see the full URL.
5.If you do click on the link and end up downloading an app, your Android phone should notify you. Delete the app and/or run a mobile security scan.
6. Create a strong password for your key accounts (email especially).
7. Enable login notifications so you’re aware of sign-ins from new computers or locations.
8 .Enable two-factor authentication so that even if someone discovers your password they can’t access your account without access to your phone.
9.To prevent someone resetting your password, lie when setting up password security questions. You would be amazed how many security questions rely on information that is easily available on the Internet or is widely known by your family and friends. Example if the name of your boyfriend is “Neka” and the device ask “What is the name of your spouse” as a test question, it’s ok to type something else. *winks*
Here are some tips and revelations from my Facebook page as well;
Like Dewunmi Lagos commented on the last screenshot; “May God save us from any man or woman who has insecurity issues”. They are like ticking bombs and their explosion could result into violence.
Run from any jealous partner as far as you can. You deserve love that doesn’t require suffering first.
Have you experienced this in anyway too? Kindly share with us.
Kindly like, follow, share and drop your comments. *winks*
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Related:
How to leave a toxic relationship
