After the recent phone hacking debacle surrounding the News Of The World and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, we’ve been inundated with questions from customers asking “is my voicemail safe?” and “how do I protect myself against phone hackers?”
The good news is that you can easily step up the security of your voicemail, all from your own mobile phone.
Each mobile phone is allocated a voicemail box number and a default security PIN number which you would need to enter if trying to call your voicemail number from another phone. Each mobile network uses a different security PIN, but the default numbers are easily obtainable online (0000, 1234 amongst others).
To make sure your voicemail is secure from outside intrusion, change your default PIN to one of your choice. This can be done on all UK networks by simply calling voicemail from your mobile and choosing the option to change your PIN number. Below are the steps you need to follow for the 5 major UK networks:
Call Voicemail > Press Option 4, Press Option 2 > Press Option 1 > Use your keypad to enter a new PIN between 4 and 10 digits long followed by # > Repeat PIN followed by # > PIN now changed.
Call Voicemail > Press Option 3 > Press Option 3 > Use your keypad to enter a new PIN between 4 and 10 digits long >Press Option 1 to enable PIN for every time Voicemail is called > PIN now changed.
Call Voicemail > Press Option 2 > Press Option 1 > Enter a 4 digit PIN followed by # > Repeat PIN followed by # >PIN now changed.
Call Voicemail > Press * > Press Option 4 > Press Option 4 > Press Option 1 > Use your keypad to enter a new PIN between 4 and 10 digits long followed by # > Press Option 2 to turn PIN Protection on > PIN now changed.
Call Voicemail > Press Option 4 > Press Option 2 > Press Option 2 > Use your keypad to enter a new PIN between 4 and 10 digits long followed by # > PIN now changed > Press Option 3 to set security level (low, medium, high).
You may be requested to enter a default PIN before entering a new one. The default PIN codes for each UK network are as follows:
- Orange (1111)
- Vodafone (3333)
- Virgin (7890)
- Tmobile (1210)
- O2 (8705)
- Tesco (8705)
- Three (123654)
It really is that simple, just a minute or two calling your voicemail to change the PIN. Most UK networks are now prompting you to change your PIN when you call through to voicemail so it’s been made even easier.
To ensure your PIN is secure and not one that can be easily guessed, Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone will prevent you from using a code that is either 4 of the same digit (eg; 0000) or 4 numbers in a series (eg; 1234). Though it might seem annoying at first, this is a useful move by the networks to ensure you choose something that can’t be guessed by others.
If you want to make your voicemail extra secure, some networks give you the option to either increase security levels (Vodafone) or enable a PIN request upon every call to your voicemail, whether it’s from you or from another number. If your network gives you extra security options, The Gadget Helpline strongly recommends you use them to your advantage.
Remember to not share your voicemail PIN with anybody and don’t save it as a note or memo on your mobile phone. It might seem a good idea but we wouldn’t recommend using your date of birth as a PIN either – it’s actually one of the more obvious choices.
If you have any questions at all about keeping your phone and voicemail secure then please let us know by adding a comment below or by tweeting us on our Official Gadget Helpline Twitter Page. Until then, follow our advice here and stay vigilant!