What to Do if Someone Stole Your Social Security Number
Criminals can steal your phone number by pretending to be you lot, and and so moving your number to another phone. They'll then receive security codes sent via SMS on their telephone, helping them gain access to your banking company account and other secure services.
What is a Port Out Scam?
"Port out scams" are a big problem for the entire cellular industry. In this scam, a criminal pretends to be y'all and moves your electric current phone number to some other cellular carrier. This process is known as "porting," and is designed to permit you keep your phone number when you switch to a new cellular carrier. Any text letters and calls to your phone number are then sent to their phone instead of yours.
This is a big trouble because many online accounts, including depository financial institution accounts, use your phone number as a two-gene authentication method. They won't let yous sign in without sending a code to your phone first. But, after the porting scam has taken identify, the criminal will receive that security lawmaking on their phone. They could employ it to proceeds admission to your financial accounts and other sensitive services.
Of course, this blazon of set on is virtually dangerous if an attacker already has access to your other accounts—for example, if they already have your online banking password, or access to your email account. But it lets the assaulter bypass the SMS-based security letters designed to protect you in this situation.
This assault is too known as SIM hijacking, as it moves your phone number from your current SIM card to the assailant'south SIM card.
How Does a Port Out Scam Work?
This scam has a lot in common with identity theft. Someone with your personal information pretends to exist you, asking your cellular carrier to move your telephone number to a new phone. The cellular carrier volition ask them to provide some personal data to identify themselves, but frequently providing your social security number is good plenty. In a perfect earth, your social security number would be individual—only, equally we've seen, many Americans' social security numbers have leaked in breaches of many big businesses.
If the person can successfully fool your cellular carrier, the switch takes place and any SMS messages sent to you and phone calls intended for you will be routed to their phone. Your phone number is associated with their telephone, and your current phone won't have phone phone call, texting, or data service anymore.
This is really simply another variation of a social engineering attack. Someone calls a company pretending to be someone else and uses social engineering to gain access to something they shouldn't accept. Like other companies, cellular carriers desire things to be every bit easy equally possible for legitimate customers, so their security may not be tight plenty to fend off all attackers.
How to Stop Port Out Scams
We recommend making sure you lot have a secure Pivot fix with your cellular carrier. This PIN will exist required when porting your phone number. Many cellular carriers previously just used the concluding four digits of your social security number equally a Pivot, which made port out scams much easier to pull off.
- AT&T: Ensure yous've set a "wireless passcode", or PIN, online. This is different from the standard countersign you employ to sign into your online business relationship, and must be four-to-eight digits. You may also desire to enable "actress security" online, which volition make your wireless passcode required in more situations.
- Sprint: Provide a Pin online on the My Sprint website. Along with your business relationship number, this Pivot will be used to confirm your identity when porting your phone number. It's divide from the standard online user business relationship password.
- T-Mobile: Phone call T-Mobile customer service and ask to add "Port Validation" to your account. This is a new six-to-fifteen digit countersign that must exist provided when y'all're porting your number. We don't know why, only T-Mobile doesn't let yous exercise this online and forces you lot to call in.
- Verizon: Ready a four-digit account PIN. If yous haven't already set one or don't remember it, you can change it online, in the My Verizon app, or by calling customer service. You lot should likewise ensure your My Verizon online account has a secure password, as that password could be used when porting your phone number.
If you have another cellular carrier, bank check your carrier's website or contact customer service to notice out how protect your business relationship.
Unfortunately, at that place are ways around all these security codes. For example, for many carriers, an attacker who could gain access to your online business relationship could change your PIN. We also wouldn't be surprised if someone could all your cellular carrier, say "I forgot my Pivot," and somehow reset it if they knew enough personal information. Carriers need to take a manner for people who forget their PINs to reset them. But this is all you tin can do to protect yourself against porting.
Mobile networks are working on beefing upward their security. The big four U.s. cellular companies—AT&T, Dart, T-Mobile, and Verizon—are working together on something chosen the "Mobile Authentication Taskforce" to make porting scams and other types of fraud harder to pull off.
Avert Relying on Your Telephone Number as a Security Method
Telephone number port out scams are ane of the reasons you should avoid SMS-based two-step security when possible. Nosotros all like to think our telephone numbers are completely under our control and only associated with the phone we ain. In reality, that'due south just non truthful—when yous rely on your phone number, you're relying on your cellular carrier's client service to protect your phone number and stop attackers from stealing it.
Instead of getting security codes sent via text message, nosotros recommend using other ii-factor security methods, similar the Authy app for generating codes. These apps generate the code on your phone itself, then a criminal would really need to accept your phone—and unlock information technology—to become the security lawmaking.
Unfortunately, many online services require you to use SMS verification with a telephone number and don't provide some other option. And, even when services do provide another option, they may let you send a lawmaking to your phone number every bit a backup method, just in case. You can't always avoid SMS codes.
RELATED: Why You Shouldn't Use SMS for Two-Factor Authentication (and What to Use Instead)
Every bit with everything in life, it's impossible to completely protect yourself. All you tin do is get in harder for attackers—keep your devices secure and your passwords private, ensure you take a secure PIN associated with your cellular phone account, and avert using SMS verification for important services.
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Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/358352/criminals-can-steal-your-phone-number.-heres-how-to-stop-them/
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