The Great Switcheroo: Protect Yourself from SIM Swapping Fraud

Americans sure love their cell phones. A whopping 96% of us own some kind of mobile phone, and 81% have a smartphone. We spend hours texting, emailing, scrolling, shopping, and posting to social media. But what if your phone suddenly quit working—as in no text messages, phone calls, or data? And then what if your cellular provider notified you that your SIM card had been activated on a new device? Sounds like an episode of The Twilight Zone, or maybe Stranger Things, right? If only. The reality is you could be the victim of a SIM card swap.

This is a type of fraud in which scammers literally hijack your cell phone number.

Here’s how it works: A scammer may launch a social engineering attack to obtain your personal information, including your cell phone number. They will then contact your cellular service provider, claiming your phone was lost or damaged. The provider will deactivate the genuine SIM card and give a new one to the scammer. However, this new SIM card will actually be on the scammer’s phone, not yours.

What this means: If the service provider does issue a new SIM card, the scammer will receive all your text messages, calls, and data on their phone.

The impacts: With your cell phone number connected to the new SIM card, the scammer can gain access to your financial information and drain your bank accounts or commit other types of financial fraud. They can violate your privacy by impersonating you on your social media or email accounts. If the scammer can get to your healthcare insurance information, you may even become a victim of medical identity theft or fraud. And by simply changing the passwords, they could lock you out of all these accounts.

Stop the Scammers in Their Tracks:

Don’t press the panic button yet! A few common-sense tips can help prevent SIM card fraud, and keep your cell number on your phone—where it belongs:

1. Never reply to calls, emails, or text messages that ask for personal information. These requests are classic signs of phishing attempts to get personal information, so scammers can access your cellular, bank, credit, or other accounts. If you receive a request for personal information, contact the company directly using a legitimate phone number or website.
2. Register for text and email alerts so you’re instantly informed of any transactions on your bank or credit accounts.
3. Avoid oversharing your personal information online. Your Facebook “friends” or Instagram followers don’t need to know your full name, address, or phone number. Identity thieves can use this information to answer security questions that are required to verify your identity and login to your accounts.
4. Use a PIN or password on your mobile phone account to help protect it from unauthorized changes. Your provider’s website should have details on how to set this up.
5. Use two-factor authentication on accounts with sensitive information, such as financial or healthcare. This adds another layer of protection to the traditional login process by verifying your identity through a second authentication factor—such as a PIN sent to another device or a fingerprint. Be aware, though, that text message verification may not prevent a scammer from SIM card swapping.
6. Immediately contact your cell service provider if your phone has stopped working, and you don’t know the reason why. Once you’re back in control of your phone number, change all account passwords.

Unfortunately, SIM swapping fraud is not straight out of science fiction. It’s an all-too-real crime with all-too-real dangers. Following the above tips is a great way to protect yourself and your family. One of the best defenses against SIM swapping fraud is an identity protection plan such as IDX Identity, with comprehensive monitoring, including your financial information, the dark web, social media accounts, Social Security, and more.​