What is the danger of cell phones?

Yes, there are. Cell phone companies have taken a lot of effort to try and make cell phones more secure, and in recent years, have even succeeded to a certain extent in improving cellular phone security. But they haven�t been able to eliminate security concerns totally. The majority of security risks associated with cell phones are:

� Cell phone conversation interception: A cell phone works on Radio frequencies. Any conversation put out through these frequencies is not absolutely secure. Analog cell phones are more vulnerable and conversations on such cell phones can be intercepted using radio scanners which are quite cheap and readily available. Conversations on digital cell phones are more difficult to intercept as theses are encoded. The latest PCS (personal communications service) phones use an array of different frequencies to send out conversations and also scramble them so dialogue on such cell phones is virtually impossible to cut off.

� Cloning: Utilizing and unlawfully charging your calls to someone else�s cell phone number is known as cloning. It is more difficult to clone digital cell phones than it is to analog ones. Cloning is a federal crime and it costs hundreds of millions of dollars to cell phone carriers every year.

� Theft: If your cell phone is stolen then the first thing to do is inform your service provider so that they can temporarily suspend your services. Before you report the loss, if your cell phone has been used to make any local or long distance calls then you are liable to be charged according to different rules of different carriers. What you can do to prevent these charges is to report your loss immediately.

Cell phone companies are taking some measures to reduce instances of these security concerns. One of these is known as Authentication. The legality of each call is tested by needing the calling cell phone to send a response to a code. If the response is not correct, then the call cannot be completed. This is the process of authentication. Some cellular phones require a personal identification number (PIN) to be entered before using the phone. This also helps to avoid unauthorized use of cell phones.

An insurance cover for your cell phone is also a useful idea. It will protect you in case your cell phone is stolen or you lose it. Ask your provider or carrier to help you choose an insurance policy which best suits your needs.