Have you ever wondered, ‘Can someone track my phone without my permission?’ The answer is: yes, they can. And you can too. It can be hard to always keep an eye on your family and keep them safe at all times. Tracking apps make your life a little bit easier.
Why Do You Even Need a Phone Tracker?
There can be many situations that need you to track a cell phone without permission.
- You might be anxious that your partner is being unfaithful to you, and you want to find out the truth
- You think someone is bullying or harassing your child, and you want to protect them
- You are concerned that your kids are talking to a harmful person
- You want to keep your elderly safe from wandering around or getting lost
Whatever your concern may be, phone tracking apps can help you monitor your loved ones. That way, you can make sure your kids are safe, your partner is faithful, and your elderly are not in any danger.
Top Applications to Locate a Cell Phone Without Permission
The web is full of a mix of useful and useless tracking apps. Instead of making you go through all the internet, we surveyed the best apps and compiled the following list.
1. mSpy
Among all the applications that we’ve checked out, mSpy is by far the best one. mSpy is not only a text message monitoring iphone app. It offers a complete package to keep an eye on your family remotely. mSpy can be used to:
- Monitor all calls and text messages (incoming and outgoing)
- Read all the content of online texting apps like Messenger and WhatsApp etc.
- Track cell phone without permission
- Control what apps and websites the user can access on their phone, and much more.
2. EyeZy
EyeZy is another efficient tracking app option. It offers many features like:
- Monitoring social media apps
- Keeping an eye on texts and phone calls
- Screen recording
- Alerts
These features make it an excellent contender for keeping an eye on your children.
3. FlexiSPY
Another good spying app is FlexiSPY. It comes with all standard features like:
- GPS tracking
- Message and call monitoring
- Screenshot capability
The thing that holds FlexiSPY back is its price. Its plans are relatively more expensive than apps like mSpy, even though they are more updated.
4. HoverWatch
HoverWatch is an up-and-coming spy app that offers quite a solid range of features like:
- Recording calls
- Getting access to phone history and texts
- Tracking social media apps like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.
- Phone location tracking
Though its features are good, it still has some way to go before competing with apps like mSpy that offer better usability.
5. Spyic
Spyic is a GPS tracking app without permission, which basically means that you can track someone’s cell phone without them knowing. Spyic also offers some other functionalities like Call log and text monitoring along with Geofencing.
But in comparison to its competitors, Spyic is quite an expensive app. It also doesn’t have any support or assistance provided. So, if something doesn’t work or goes wrong, you’re on your own.
Is It Legal to Track Someone’s Phone?
There are several scenarios where it is entirely legal to locate a cell phone without permission:
- It’s your own device
- It’s the device of your kids or a minor under your supervision
- The person knows their phone is being tracked
- The device belongs to an organization, and you’re your employees agree to be tracked
If you fall under any of these situations, you can go ahead on your tacking journey. But otherwise, you will need explicit permission from the phone owner to track them.
Conclusion
Phone tracking is the most efficient and easiest way to keep an eye on someone. If you need to track someone, you can use an app like mSpy. But before you do that, make sure that you are permitted by law to track the person. Otherwise, you can get in trouble.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).