I'm not sure why you are reluctant to do so. Many modern smartphones are very secure for most people.
In every story of a scam you will ever read, you will notice the common element: the victim was tricked into giving information they should not, and following the scammers instructions on installing software that gives the scammers access.
The best defense is essentially being aware of those facts. If someone asks you for sensitive information, this should put you on guard and make you think about how genuine they are. If they ask you to install software, this should raise all the red flags.
These are not high tech criminals. The people with the skills to hack phones are either working for state-level actors, cybersecurity companies or they're ransoming companies for $$millions.