Now, hackers and scammers could be looking for just your phone number. It’s called “port-out hijacking” or “SIM-swapping,” and it’s been a nightmare for those who’ve fallen victim to it. In one instance, someone received an email notification from their bank that a hacker was trying to transfer $20K from their credit card to an “unfamiliar Discover Bank account.” Once that was resolved, days later, another attempt to score $19K to that same account was attempted. In this lesser-known form of identity theft, the hackers take over your phone number, so even calls and text go directly to them…and not to you. In this type of hack, even two-factor authentication can be used against you. These scams are only going to increase, but you can still be proactive in protecting yourself by regularly changing passwords, signing out of apps that you’re not currently using, and being diligent about keeping your personal information off the internet. According to the FBI, complaints regarding “SIM-swapping” have increased 400% between 2018 and 2021 and have caused over $68 million in personal losses to the victims.
Source: AP News