In the battle to one-up their rivals and persuade punters to pick their network, mobile operators are increasingly going beyond a price war on data, calls and minutes.
Whether it’s freebies, discounts or access to other services, there’s usually a sweetener to draw you in.
Vodafone’s latest offer might not seem as tempting as a free coffee or getting priority for those exclusive event tickets, but it could save you from an awful lot of hassle.
Timed to coincide with Safer Internet Week, it has updated its Secure Net app which now includes 24/7 ID monitoring so you get an early warning if your personal details are exposed online. This helps to prevent identity theft which can lead to all manner of trouble for the victim, as criminals open bank accounts in your name, take out loans and leave you to clear up the mess.
This is – sadly – much more common than you might expect. In the 12 months up to March 2022, over 5.5 million smartphone users in the UK became a victim to ID theft according to PRnewswire.
Almost half (44%) of them had money stolen from their bank account, and 23% had their name used to open a new bank or credit card account.
Vodafone’s service isn’t free, but at just £1 per month it’s cheaper than other ID protection services from Norton, Experian and McAfee which typically cost three times as much, if not more. You can monitor for your name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, credit and debit card details, but it’s up to you how much of that you give to Vodafone to watch out for.
To sign up for the free trial of Secure Net, head to Vodafone’s website.
As well as ID monitoring, the app gives you a ‘digital safety rating’ indicating how safe you’re being online. It will give you a score from Weak to Strong based on your device setup which, if not already Strong, can be improved by beefing up your settings and resolving any identified threats.
The app will also protect you against visiting potentially dangerous websites and phishing attacks while you’re connected to Vodafone’s network, helping to keep you safe while you’re shopping or just browsing the web.
Secure Net is available on iPhones, but if you have an Android phone you also get a cleaning tool for detecting threats found over Wi-Fi.
Parental controls include the ability to filter websites on mobile devices for specific age groups as well as blocking specific sites you don’t want your kids to access. It also lets you schedule downtime and pause mobile data at certain times – a useful feature that means kids can’t just switch to mobile data if you pause the home Wi-Fi.
Finally, real-time malware protection means Android phones in particular are protected from viruses or other nasties in downloaded apps and other sources.
“Our new and improved security offering provides customers with affordable protection that keeps their devices and personal information as safe as possible. This cost-effective, hassle-free and easy-to-use app will give customers one less thing to worry about when they’re online.” said Vodafone’s Max Taylor.
Plus, Vodafone has launched Digital Parenting Pro, an online resource that helps parents and carers to understand the threats posed by popular social media apps, games and how to use the parental controls on different devices.
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Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.