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Digital threats come in many forms, such as fraud and identify theft, and may be sneakier than expected. In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October), here are a few tips from Cricket on how to protect you and your family from mobile threats.

Cricket Call Defense

Cricket Call Defense is a free tool that helps you identify which calls you should take and which ones you shouldn’t by giving you more information and control over spam callers and robocalls. Robocalls are a category of unwanted phone calls that use a computerized auto-dialer to deliver a pre-recorded message, as if from a robot. Fraudsters use robocalls to avoid detection. You can take control of who contacts you and which calls you answer using Cricket Call Defense.

Cricket Call Defense helps you:

  • Verify your incoming calls with new caller authentication
  • Identify unwanted calls with available network information
  • Block calls that have been identified as fraudulent or scam calls
  • Relieve the stress of answering a call you didn't want
In most cases, Cricket will turn on Cricket Call Defense for you when you activate service. You have the option to turn it off at any time in My Account or through the myCricket app. It works on wireless devices that have HD Voice capability, or otherwise known as VoLTE capabilities. You can check out HD Voice-Capable Phones to see if your device is compatible.

 

Protect your account information

To protect you from potential fraudulent activity, we encourage you to create an Account PIN when activating a new wireless account. You can also turn on PIN security for your wireless account at any time. Click here to turn on Account PIN and learn more.

Spam text messages

Spam text messages are unsolicited and unwanted ads whose goal is to get access to and sell your personal data. Often, spam messages will announce you've won something, or that you qualify for an offer. Sometimes they will include a link that, if clicked, will compromise your personal information or try to coax money out of you. These messages may count against your text plan depending on which plan you have.

Don't respond directly to a spam message or click on the link. Doing so alerts the spammer that your number is genuine. You can report spam by using the spam reporting link below so that the source of the spam can be investigated.

Fill out this brief report and our spam response provider will take appropriate action.

Bark App

Bark is an award-winning online safety and parental control service that helps families safely navigate the digital world. You can visit https://www.bark.us/cricketwireless or any of the participating 4,500 Cricket locations nationwide and scan a QR code to access special deals on Bark. There are two options available:

  • Bark Jr: Free to Cricket customers and is perfect for younger kids. Parents and guardians can manage screen time and filter websites to ensure their children are accessing appropriate content. The app also gives parents and guardians a tool to keep up with their kids with location check-ins.
  • Bark Premium: Comes with all the features of Bark Jr, plus the ability to monitor activities in emails, browsers, text messages, and 30+ apps and social platforms. Parents receive alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more. (Bark Premium is currently available at the discounted rate of $9.99/month for new Bark customers. After 12 months, Bark Premium renews at the prevailing rate of $14/month unless you cancel.)
Visit https://sponsorships.cricketwireless.com/parentalcontrols to get more information and to take advantage of this offer.

 

Protect your Refill Cards

Refill Card fraud is the unauthorized use of a legitimate customer's Cricket Refill card information. Criminals will attempt to steal, find, or get physically close enough to read the card information. If you are subject to Refill Card fraud, contact Customer Support at 1-800-CRICKET (1-800-274-2538).

For more information on wireless safety, visit Cricket’s Fraud and Safety page. To manage your Cricket account, visit the Account Management page for helpful articles and FAQs.

Stay safe out there!