It seems innocent enough. You're on your phone when someone asks if they can
use it to Google something or pull up directions. Or maybe you offer to let
someone use your device to make a quick phone call. Usually, it's someone
you know. But there are times when you may feel tempted to let your phone be
used by a complete stranger.
That's what happened to a man from Texas named Tim Gautreaux. He and his
wife visited a car dealership to purchase a new vehicle. But by the end of
the visit, something unusual had happened.
While negotiating the price of the vehicle, Gautreaux handed his cellphone
to the car salesman. He didn't think anything of it. After all, he was just
trying to provide the financial information the dealership needed to show
he'd been pre-approved by his lender for a loan.
The salesman took the phone to his manager, Matthew Thomas, while Gautreaux
and his wife waited. Only a few minutes passed where the phone was out of
his sight, but when it was returned Gautreaux noticed something suspicious.
When he first opened his phone, he found a picture of his wife from a year
ago. The picture featured his wife in a "compromising state of undress,"
according to legal documents from the lawsuit Gautreaux filed.
Those same documents went on to explain that Gautreaux then used an app that
saves deleted emails, and that's where he found something shocking.
Two additional emails had been sent by Thomas, containing photos of
Gautreaux's wife getting out of a bathtub. The photos were allegedly emailed
to a swingers website, which led Gautreaux to file a lawsuit that asks for
$1 million in damages.
In a statement, Gautreaux's lawyer explained, "These actions have caused the
Gautreauxs to suffer humiliation and mental anguish, particularly because
they don't know who has seen these photographs or may see them in the
future."
We don't know how the case will turn out, but we do know where Gautreaux
made a huge mistake in this situation. He shouldn't have given his phone to
someone he didn't know, especially if his private data wasn't password
protected.
What to do in a similar situation
Should you ever find yourself in a situation where you're tempted to hand
your phone to someone else - don't! Even if someone you know is asking to
see your phone, make sure you really trust them.
As bad as this situation was, it could have been even worse. Did you know
there are apps that can be installed on your device that let snoops spy on
your every move? The person spying would just need a few minutes with your
phone to install these apps while you aren't looking.
To send the necessary financial information to the dealer, Gautreaux should
have emailed it directly to the appropriate parties.
This is also why we're always warning you to make sure your phone and tablet
are passcode protected. If you own an iPhone or iPad, you also need to
change these settings so that hackers can't get around your passcode using
Siri.
Another good tip is to hide sensitive information on your device so that it
can't be accessed if your phone is ever lost, stolen or out of your
possession.
http://www.komando.com/happening-now/382537/dont-let-your-phone-out-of-your-
sight-you-wont-believe-how-someone-stole-this-mans-photos
===========================================================
The fb-exchange mailing list
Manage account, subscribe or unsubscribe:
//www.freelists.org/list/fb-exchange
Archives: //www.freelists.org/archives/fb-exchange ;
Administrative contact: insight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
===========================================================
