For all those tech-savvy ladies and gents out there (of which I am not one), I have a puzzle for you to ponder:

A friend of mine approached me with a scenario that she needs an answer for. A friend of hers is in a crappy marriage and her husband has told her that he can access her mobile phone via another mobile, look at her messages inbox, outbox, sent box, her phone book, missed & received etc, and can even turn off her phone. According to my friend, he demonstrated it to her and did in fact, turn off her phone. Now I know he is using this to intimidate her, but I am wondering if it is in fact possible? And if so, is there any way to prevent it? (aside from changing all her passwords and keeping her Bluetooth switched off which I have already suggested)

Any help would be much appreciated!

hi, i know nothing about things like these but just posed the question to my partner and he said that it may be done through a pc program and that if so the only way to stop it would be through getting a new sim card. obviously if hes her husband then he will just get the new number anyway. But there may be other ways hes accessing it.

he sounds like a right pain in the backside!

There's a little program called Bloover which is easily installed on any mobile and it can do all, and more, that your friend's husband is claiming. Make calls without her knowledge, access all folders, send viruseseses (or is that virii?) etc., and more disturbing, it can scan for any other phones in the immediate area so changing the sim card is only a partial solution.

Fortunately it relies on the fact that most people have Bluetooth turned on almost permanently. Your friend's phone should be relatively safe, as you've already suggested, if she keeps Bluetooth turned off.

The only way her phone can then be accessed is by direct connection to a PC via a USB cable or infrared connector. There is still no guarantee that he couldn't be accessing her phone physically when she's out of the room etc.

She could install Bloover on her phone and scan for her husband's number to call a premium rate line. He wouldn't know a thing until the bill came in.

I've got a feeling there are more vicious programs out there, but as far as I am aware, they all require a Bluetooth connection.

Alternate solution....
Hasn't your friend got any big brothers who could have a 'word' with her husband? They could leave at least one finger intact so he could dial for help.

I want to die peacefully in my sleep, just like grandpa. Not screaming and panicking like his passengers.
Don't drink and drive from The Lancre Tavern

Jock, my friend thanks you from the bottom of her heart. I passed on the info, and the girl said that she thinks he tried to get into her phone earlier on and couldn't. He left the house in a giant huff.

And re: brothers, unfortunately she has no one - literally. Single child of single children. With any luck, she'll get out of it soon. And at least she has a way to fight back (sort of) and let him know the intimidation doesn't work.

Divorce him. Get a new phone and a restraining order.

And a large dog.

Maz, hope it works out ok for her, he sounds like a right nutcase and she's better off a long way away from him...

Damn Spider pig

Scary. Checking that Bluetooth is turned off on own phone and happy that own husband is not a bully nutcase...

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There once was a man named Bruce
Who liked to sit on a spruce
He ate lots of chowder
And yelled at me louder:
"I'm talking to YOU, Mrs. Hughes!"
--> The Literary Genius: Mowgli