Given the privacy, security, and potential secrecy we entrust to VPNs, it's no surprise that we're only comfortable with the best VPNs.

Unfortunately, some users in Dubai are literally paying the price for downloading the wrong mobile app. That's right, dodgy mobile VPNs are taking money out of the pockets of Dubai users without the owners' knowledge.

According to the Khaleej Times, malicious mobile VPNs have been extracting prepaid cell phone credits from users behind their backs. One user reportedly lost Dh200 (over $50) in just one month, no small amount to reduce the contents of his wallet.

If there is one thing this scam teaches us, it is to vet apps before granting them permission on our devices. This VPN was clearly a bad idea, but how do we find a provider we can trust?

For starters, all of the names listed in our best free VPN guides are completely legit, but if you think you've found something else worth signing up for, beware. But if you think you've found something worth signing up for, beware.

Most free VPNs have some sort of limitation separate from the premium service. Either there is a limit on the amount of data or the number of servers. What is in it for the provider? As a rule of thumb, we don't want to recommend a VPN without a premium version; with VPNs like ProtonVPN and PrivadoVPN, we know that their money comes from people upgrading their service, not from other sources.

If you are going to take the plunge and install these VPNs on your phone or PC, be aware of what permissions the VPN is asking for. For example, does the VPN really need access to your contacts?

It may not be the most pleasant task, but try to make sure the VPN provider is doing what you want. Some free providers have privacy policies that completely undermine their own.

We've seen plenty of VPNs that claim to have a sacrosanct “no-logs” policy, yet make it clear in the next paragraph of their terms of service that they are tracking everything from your IP address to your mother's maiden name. No wonder this makes me want to head for the hills.

Given that many people use VPNs for safety, it is too risky to deal with questionable providers. There's no way of knowing about features like kill switches that can save you if you lose your connection. Not much of a problem if you are just browsing, but a bigger problem if you are trying to avoid state censorship.