topic Re: Security Concern - text messages in Pay Monthly

Security Concern - text messages

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 21:53:04 GMT

I was recently away for work with a colleage for one night. While we were away text messages sent to me also appeared on my colleague's phone. They showed as having what I know to be my husband's number. These texts also appeared on his own phone as new messages.

I find this really worrying - my husband was sending me texts which were duplicated to my colleagues phone. He does not know my colleague or have her phone number, nor have I used his phone previously.

My colleague complained to her mobile phone company (Talk Talk) and was told it was impossible for this to happen. Obviously it isn't!

I find it extremely concerning that this could happen for the privacy of texts generally. I would be really grateful if anyone could explain how this could have happened! My phone is Tesco, my husband's is O2 and my colleague's phone network is Talk Talk. We were away near Birmingham, we live in the North East of England if that helps at all.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

MI5 — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 21:58:38 GMT

The only way I know that this is possible is if iphones are sharing an apple id.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Cleoriff — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:01:09 GMT

This is really weird...I have never heard of it at all. As you say @Anonymous very worrying in terms of security.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

jonsie — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:09:47 GMT

Are you both using iphones? As said, it can only happen if you are sharing an Apple ID or sharing an itunes account.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Bambino — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:28:45 GMT

The only other ways I can think of that it would be possible to do that would be if both phones were capable of NFC and both were activated, but it would involve both phones touching each other as well, or if the phones were paired by Bluetooth and they used Bluetooth File Transfer. Even then I'm not sure it could be done.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:42:27 GMT

@Anonymous do you have a separate Apple ID or do you & your husband share the same Apple ID on both phones

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:49:53 GMT

My colleague and I have Samsung phones, my husband has a Blackberry. I'm not very technical, I just use my phone for texting - the phones weren't physically touching and I have never paired my phone with my colleagues using bluetooth.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Anonymous — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 22:53:17 GMT

I don't know what NFC is but I have only ever called or texted my colleague, we have never bluetoothed anything.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Bambino — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 23:38:03 GMT

This isn't a problem I've ever heard of before, and I don't recall anything even similar being posted here. I'm not sure if anyone else here has any other suggestions other than the ones already given.

Putting the query into Google came back with posts about the problem, but most relating to iPhones

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=same+text+appearing+on+different+phones&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr,ssl&ei=iGvbVuDAG8WL6ASUg4No

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Cleoriff — Sat, 05 Mar 2016 23:48:09 GMT

We have some very experienced Samsung users on here @Anonymous and if they can't help you may want to ring SamsungTechnical department. It is worrying and of course makes you wonder what other info may be shared.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/info/contactus.html

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Curr946 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 01:27:07 GMT

Check your contact card on hubby's phone doesn't have two numbers stored under it. But it's a far fetched possibility of causing this.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

MI5 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 09:52:39 GMT

There really isn't anyway a standard SMS can be delivered to a different phone via the gsm network.
The only way it can happen is imesaages on iphones with shared accounts.
You can get apps on android that will forward an SMS but you would have to have installed the app and set it up to do so.
I don't even believe you can forward SMS messages by BT or NFC either automatically.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Bambino — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 10:02:54 GMT

I did say in my earlier post that I wasn't sure you could do this via BT or NFC. Apart from anything else, the OP doesn't even know what NFC is, so it would certainly rule that method out. If it was possible, it would have to be deliberate, and the OP said the messages just appeared without doing anything, which makes this even more puzzling.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

MI5 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 10:12:31 GMT

The only way on android is deliberately.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

jonsie — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 10:49:00 GMT

A conundrum, maybe Samsung can shed a little light on this.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Cleoriff — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 10:59:58 GMT

@jonsie wrote:
A conundrum, maybe Samsung can shed a little light on this.

To be honest it's Samsung I would be contacting. On this occasion the text was probably innocuous. I shudder to think what the reaction would have been from the OPs colleague if it had been a text full of negative comments about her/him,. I often went to events with my boss ...who was a bit of a rottweiler. ..Yes it doesn't bear thinking about #justsaying.....

Re: Security Concern - text messages

MI5 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:08:18 GMT

If I was the OP I'd be checking my phone to see if there are any SMS Forwarding apps installed too (also check under hidden apps).

Re: Security Concern - text messages

jonsie — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:11:35 GMT

That would be the most plausible reason for this happening.

Re: Security Concern - text messages

MI5 — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:14:55 GMT

A couple more questions for @Anonymous

Do you use the standard sms app on phone or is it whatsapp, hangouts or some other?

Does this happen for every message, regardless of your location or proximity to your colleagues phone or can it happen with texts only sent when you are near to each other?

Re: Security Concern - text messages

Bambino — Sun, 06 Mar 2016 11:57:20 GMT

As a matter of interest, I just did a little experiment and was able to send a received text message from my phone (Nexus 5) to my tablet (Samsung Galaxy Note 10 2014 edition), by Bluetooth File Transfer. However, the text wasn't sent to my Message app, but to a Polaris Office file. The Message app wasn't offered as a choice to receive the file, and I had to do a fair amount to get the text from one device to the other. I'm sure this means absolutely nothing in relation to the OP's problem, but it is possible. I don't have two NFC capable devices, so I couldn't try that method.