Suspected Mobile SIM Card Swap Fraud

Summary

SIM swap fraud is a form of cybercrime where scammers exploit the process of swapping SIM cards to access a victim's personal and financial information. They gain unauthorized control over the victim's phone number, which enables them to take over social media or bank accounts.

How to Tell if Your SIM Card Has Been Compromised

• Your phone stops working. If scammers take over your phone number, your telecom provider may stop serving your phone. You won’t be able to make calls, send texts, or access the internet.
• You stop receiving dual-factor authentication codes. If your phone number has been assigned to a new SIM, you won’t receive SMS authentication codes on your device. Instead, your phone company will send those codes to the new device registered in your name. This is one-way hackers compromise accounts protected by Two-Factor Authentication.
• You receive a message asking you to restart your phone. Your mobile phone may detect that another device is using the SIM card assigned to it. Some phones require users to restart the phone when this happens. When the restarting process is complete, you won’t be able to make calls or send texts.
• Your device reports being in a strange location. If you use a phone finder app like Apple, Google, or Samsung’s Find My Device, you may see your phone pinned on the map in a strange location. It may be your phone, or a different phone registered to your name.
• You get locked out of your online accounts. If you can’t pass two-factor authentication, you won’t be able to access many of your online accounts. Additionally, some services may tag your activity as suspicious and prevent you from logging in. However, there is also a chance that hackers have locked you out by changing your login credentials.
• You see unfamiliar messages and numbers in your sent folder. If your phone’s SIM card has been compromised, you may see unusual calls and SMS activity. If you see outgoing calls and messages that you don’t recognize, it might mean that someone is using your SIM card without your knowledge.
• Your data bill is much higher than usual. If someone is using your SIM card to access and download data to a second device, they may use your data subscription in the process. Your phone bill may show additional devices and higher activity, leading to higher prices.
• New apps suddenly appear on your phone. If someone compromises your mobile device, they may install new apps without your consent. Even if these look like harmless applications, they could hide malware or keyloggers on your phone.

If your device is showing any of these characteristics, change your password, update TSV settings if applicable, and add Mobile Number Lock Protection. If you receive a notification from Cox about having a SIM card replaced that you don’t recognize, or if you believe you are a victim of SIM card swap fraud, contact Cox.