Prevent SIM Swapping and Losing Access to Your Phone Number

In this article, we’ll talk about how to prevent SIM swapping as it is a growing crime you need to be aware of. If a thief takes over your phone number and has a way to gain access to your accounts, your finances could be severely damaged—not to mention your personal life and peace of mind. In a nutshell, here’s what you need to know about SIM swapping. In a successful SIM-swapping instance, the criminal doesn’t steal your smartphone. Instead, they take over your phone number behind your back, without you being aware of it—until you try to use your phone and it doesn’t work. Without your knowledge, a criminal contacted your phone service provider, pretending to be you, with a tale of having a new phone and needing to swap their SIM card (your SIM card) for a new phone. SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module. A small SIM card contains a special chip that stores information on a mobile subscriber’s identity and the phone number tied to that account. A SIM card inside a smartphone is like a DVD inside a DVD player. The SIM card identifies and authenticates subscribers on mobile devices. Crazy, huh? Well, that is not supposed to happen. And even though there are steps you can take (and need to take) to prevent that, it’s still not 100% foolproof. That’s because criminals can get around the protections that should keep us safe. It can happen. It does happen. But there are two ways you can protect yourself. The second step is essential, not simply because of SIM swapping, but because you can keep other hackers and scammers out of your accounts. Here are the steps for thwarting a would-be SIM-swapping thief and protecting your accounts. When cell phones emerged in the 1990s, no one could have envisioned how important they would become in our everyday lives. When Steve Jobs revealed the iPhone in 2007, who knew it would change our lives forever? Today, our phone numbers are dangerously connected to every aspect of our lives, from finances and socializing to healthcare and shopping . Many security experts advise that to protect our finances and privacy, we must first protect our phone numbers, phones, and other access points. The best time to start is right now. For more SIM-swapping insights and advice for staying safer in the digital world, subscribe to the Easy Prey podcast, hosted by Chris Parker, CEO of WhatIsMyIPAddress.com.