Have you heard of SIM swapping? It’s a new trick that hackers are using to get money and mess up your life.
What is SIM Swapping?
So, what is SIM swapping? It’s when a hacker tricks your cell phone company into thinking that you have activated your SIM card on another phone. In other words, the hackers are taking your phone number and then associating it with a different SIM card. If the switch is a success, your device will be deactivated, and all of your phones, texts, data, and more will come to the hacker. This means, of course, that the hacker could get access to any account, including your bank account, and could even totally lock you out of your accounts.
How the SIM Swap Scam is Identified
A hacker doesn’t need your device to do a SIM swap. It can all be done remotely, as long as they can convince your service provider to do it. How do they convince your service provider? They give them information about you, such as your birthday, Social Security number, or account number. They can easily get this information from your mail, email, or account.
So, how do you know if you have been the target of a SIM swap? Generally, it’s when you see weird behavior from your phone, like the inability to send texts or make calls for no reason.
Preventing a SIM Swap
There are a number of things that you can do to prevent a SIM swap. Here are some tips:
Are You a Victim of a SIM Swap?
If you are a victim of a SIM swap, there are certain things you can do:
ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com , the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity Protection security awareness training program.