PHONY WAR: Sim hijackers are surging
I DON’T know how we will win the war against digital fraudsters.
These skelms really do seem to remain two steps ahead of us all the time.
The worst thing right now seems to be SIM-swap fraud.
Our phones are so much a part of our lives that they are part of our identity. So when our phones get taken over by these criminals, so do our lives.
SIM-swapping happens when scammers contact your mobile phone’s carrier and trick them into activating a SIM card that the fraudsters have.
Once this happens, the scammers have control over your phone number. Anyone calling or texting this number will contact the hacker’s device, not your phone or number.
Your number has basically been hijacked.
To steal your number, scammers gather as much personal information as possible through phishing emails, malware and social media research.
That’s where the data scammers have collected on you through phishing emails, malware, or social media research becomes useful.
Scammers might send you an email claiming to be from your cellphone provider.
This email might say that you need to click on a link to keep your account open. When you do, you’re taken to a new page that asks you to provide personal information, including your name, birthdate, and password.
Once you fill this out and click “Send,” you’ve given the scammers access to all of the information they need to trick your mobile phone carrier into a SIM swap scam.
Other scammers trick you into clicking on email links that fill your computer with malware that records your keystrokes, including any passwords or security question answers you type.
Again, this provides the fraudsters with the information they need to pull off a successful SIM swap.
Once this is done, they can access your phone communications with banks and other organisations.
They can then receive any codes or password resets sent to that phone via call or text for any of your accounts. That’s it. You’ve been hacked.
It’s important to recognise the warning signs of a SIM swap. Doing so can help you shut down fraudsters’ access to your phone, hopefully before they cause too much damage.
Here are some signs that you might be a victim of SIM swapping.
1. You can’t make calls or send texts
The first sign that you could be a victim of SIM swapping is when your phone calls and text messages aren’t going through. This likely means fraudsters have deactivated your SIM card and are using your phone number.
2. You’re notified of activity elsewhere
You’ll know you’re a victim if your phone provider notifies you that your SIM card or phone number has been activated on another device.
3. You’re unable to access online accounts
If your login credentials no longer work for accounts like your bank and credit card accounts, it’s likely that scammers have changed your passwords and usernames, maybe after having taken over your phone number. Contact your bank and other organisations immediately to let them know.
4. You find transactions you don’t remember making
If you’re checking your online credit card statement and notice several transactions you don’t remember making, you might be the victim of a SIM swap scam.
This is a sign that criminals have accessed your credit card number and used it to make unauthorised purchases. They might have stolen your phone number and used the information sent to it to access your account.5. Having people on your contact list enquire about why you are asking them for money
If you are not known for asking people for money, hopefully, they will alert you when they get strange requests for financial assistance from you.
Unfortunately, fraudsters have been exploiting a SIM swap loophole that requires the account holder to actively opt out of a SIM swap request for it to be blocked.
This especially becomes a problem when consumers are overseas without SMS roaming or when different time zones result in the opt-out message being sent while the consumer is asleep.
However, thinking you are fully protected against a fraudulent SIM swap if you turn on SMS roaming when travelling abroad is also a mistake.
The time that networks allow subscribers to decline a SIM swap request is relatively short.MTN South Africa has explained that a new tactic involves criminals posing as a family member, claiming they need a one-time-pin (OTP) to claim a competition prize.
Another involves WhatsApp phishing, where fraudsters recreate a profile to appear as WhatsApp itself, requesting an OTP under false pretences.
MTN South Africa also warned that people should be aware of aspects such as messages with poor grammar, fake logos, and suspicious URLs, which could indicate a phishing attempt.
Absa’s website noted that a new scam has recently emerged through which criminals are able to duplicate someone’s number into another SIM card.
Absa warns: “Pay special attention to all messages received from your network service provider regarding Twin SIM functionality – if you ignore a notification, your SIM card duplication will go ahead, giving the fraudster full access to any sensitive banking information sent to you.”
If you think you are a victim of SIM card swapping, you should immediately get hold of your bank to put a hold on all transactions, and get in touch with your cellular provider to block your SIM card.
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