Protect Your Tech

Sim-card swap scams

What’s the threat?

Criminals who steal enough of your personal details can pose as you and tell your mobile provider that you’ve lost your phone. If the network is convinced by their act, it sends them a SIM card. When your number is switched to the new SIM, the scammer gets instant access to your information, including private texts and, potentially, passwords and bank-account information.

According to Action Fraud, there was a 20-fold rise in cases of Sim-swap fraud between 2015 and 2018. Nearly 4,500 people have lost an estimated £9.1m.

The terrifying thing about this scam is that it targets your mobile provider, not you. So, if your phone company falls for the fraudster’s call, there’s literally nothing you can do to stop it. In fact, you won’t even know there’s anything wrong until your real phone suddenly stops receiving calls and fails to connect to mobile data – a sign that your phone number has been successfully transferred to the fraudster’s new SIM.

Worse, in some cases, even two-factor authentication (2FA) might not be able to protect you. This usually works by using your mobile phone as the secondary authentication factor. But if crooks have hijacked your phone number, they will also receive the codes by banks and other services to confirm your identity.

How can you stay safe?

Scammers start by scouring social media for personal information that’s often used as passwords – pet names, mother’s maiden names, birth dates and so on. Make sure you don’t share these online.

It’s also worth carrying out a review of your passwords and maybe switch to a password manager. If you’ve not received any calls or messages for some time, ask someone to ring your phone, or send a text. If you don’t get it, you should contact your provider immediately.