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Sim Swapping

bigpapanoodle
Hooked
Posts: 6
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎01-01-2022

Sim Swapping

I wish to draw other members to the issue of sim swapping.

It's a method used by fraudsters to port your number to a service provider of their choosing. The reason being that once they are in control of your number they are able to make attempts to access your online accounts. They do this by confirming texts or notifications such as 2FA (two factor authentication) sent to the mobile in their possession.

These fraudulent attacks are made possible by the fact that Ofcom (the telecommunications regulator) places an obligation on all service providers to allow their customers to leave and migrate to another provider without delay.

So how do the fraudsters take advantage of this situation? Well the first that you will know about it is a text from your service provider saying "we are sorry you leaving us, here is your PAC code" Now if you instigated this request then fine, no problem. If you didn't make any request to leave then you should contact your provider IMMEDIATELY although by then it could be too late..the fraudster has ported your number out. You have lost that number and pretty soon your service will terminate. They are now busy trying to access any sensitive accounts (usually of a financial nature) using your number to confirm that it is you trying to make access.

2 REPLIES 2
Gel
Aspiring Champion
Posts: 2,332
Thanks: 299
Fixes: 29
Registered: ‎02-08-2007

Re: Sim Swapping

bigpapanoodle
Hooked
Posts: 6
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎01-01-2022

Re: Sim Swapping

Sadly the fraudsters are aware of that too! There needs to be a change in the way that PAC codes are issued so readily. As I mentioned, the service providers are under obligation to allow customers to leave without delay. In most cases that can be TWO minutes!