What is SIM Swapping? How to Prevent SIM Hijacking

Have you heard of SIM Swapping? It’s one of the oldest and sometimes extremely severe cases of fraudulent attacks. This type of attack can result in the loss of sensitive data and financial information. In this guide, we highlight everything there is to know about SIM hijacking, how it works, when to notice the signs, and how to prevent these attacks from happening. 

TIP – One way to prevent SIM swapping is to add double encryption and security to all your passwords. With FastestPass, you never need to leave your phone apps and folders open or vulnerable. All your passwords will be secured in our digital vaults, and only you have access to the master password.

What is SIM Swapping?

SIM Swapping, also known as SIM splitting, SIMjacking, and port-out scam, is a fraudulent scam where the perpetrator takes hold of the victim’s phone number and switches it to another SIM card. The attacker then controls this new device and can easily gain access to all social media, bank accounts, credit cards, and other linked services associated with the phone number. When SIM swapping takes place, the attacker can seize or take over the victim’s calls, text messages, 2FA codes, and other means of authentication. This attack can then ultimately pave the way to the victim’s bank account, etc. 

How Do SIM Swapping Attacks Work?

Cybercriminals often carry out SIM swap attacks to hijack your phone number and break into your financial or banking accounts. They begin by collecting personal details about you; this information is usually gathered from social media, via data breaches, the dark web, or phishing scams. With enough of your information, they impersonate you and contact your mobile provider to transfer your phone number to a new SIM or eSIM that they control. Once the transfer is successful, all your calls and texts go to their device. This allows them to intercept verification codes or security calls from banks and other services, giving them access to your accounts. Victims usually don’t realize what’s happened until their own phone stops receiving service. Verizon, right now, is the largest telecommunications company in the United States, where most of its customers are targeted. However, this attack takes place worldwide, no matter which provider you use.  

Signs of SIM Hijacking

As mentioned, SIM hijacking is when an attacker swaps a person’s phone number on to their device without them knowing. Through this, the attacker gains access or control of every online account and assets linked to that number. There are times when the victim is not even aware of what happened. However, here are some signs showing you that you’re a victim of SIM swapping, to prevent future attacks: 

Haven’t been receiving calls or messages

You need to check to see if you have signals. If you do, and still are unable to send or receive calls, text messages, or even verification codes, this means that you are a SIM swap victim. 

No cellular service

One day, you have strong and uninterrupted cell service, and then the next day, you can’t even get a tiny dot of service. If you’re unable to even create emergency calls, this means you might’ve experienced a SIM Swap attack. 

Locked out of accounts

Another sign of a SIM swap attack is when you’ve been unexpectedly locked out of all your social media accounts, even if your passwords for them are different. This may include banking apps, social media apps, certain websites, email IDs, etc. 

Unusual behavior and activities

One very evident sign that you’ve been hacked or are a victim of SIM swapping is when you receive notifications of password resets, email changes, uploaded statuses, messages, and calls you never made. 

Alerts from your phone provider

Once someone is attempting to swap your SIM number onto their device, they will contact your provider to make SIM swapping changes. Your number is SIMjacked if you receive these notifications.  

Unauthorized transactions

Are you receiving transaction or payment notifications? If you didn’t make those payments, someone else is doing it for you. That’s one of the clear signs of SIM swapping. When this happens, immediately contact your bank and ask them to freeze your account/accounts. 

What to Do When a SIM Swap Attacks You

Here are some measures to take: 

Contact your mobile carrier

Do not hesitate and waste time; attacks like these can be executed within minutes. Hurriedly contact your mobile carrier and report the unauthorized SIM exchange. Ask them to freeze the switch and lock the SIM up. Explain to them that it was never carried out by you, provide them with proof, and request that your number be shifted back to the original SIM, and keep all evidence of the changes. 

Start securing all your online accounts

Make sure you freeze your bank accounts, change your passwords for all your banking apps, social media, email IDs, and more. Disabling 2FA authentication via SMS is important for the time being. Go through the security settings and remove devices that you’re not familiar with. 

Can You Prevent SIM Swapping Fraud?

To add protection against SIM jacking, mobile users can take basic yet effective precautions, such as adding PIN codes and security questions for their mobile accounts or switching to authentication apps that don’t rely on text messages for two-factor verification. 

Practicing safe online behavior, like avoiding suspicious emails and reducing the number of personal accounts tied to a phone number, can also enhance security. Staying alert to signs of SIM swap activity, including unauthorized charges or strange behavior on social media, is equally important for catching attacks early. 

Now that this is out of the way, below you will find some steps showing you how to prevent future SIM swapping fraud attacks.

How to Prevent SIM Swapping Attacks

We’ve talked about “what is a SIM swap?”, how it works, and signs to detect it. Let’s now talk about some of the best ways for you to prevent it: 

• Enable SIM Protection – SIM Protection allows you to secure lines on your account by preventing any changes to their associated SIM cards. Any attempt to swap a SIM will be blocked unless you first disable the SIM Protection feature for that specific line.
• Incorporate Stronger Passwords – It is important that you add stronger passwords to all your media and banking accounts. Weak passwords are the number one way to compromise devices and accounts. If you aren’t able to create secure lock codes, get the best password manager to get the job done. For this, FastestPass is the best option. 
• Upgrade Your Security –  If you’ve experienced a SIM hijacking attempt, it’s important to act quickly by updating the passwords for your email, bank accounts, and other sensitive services. Check your email provider’s security dashboard for any unfamiliar logins or access from unknown devices or locations. Make it a habit to update your passwords regularly, and frequently review your credit report to spot any unauthorized activity or newly opened accounts you didn’t approve.
• Be Cautious About Suspicious Emails, Calls, Texts, Etc. – Most email providers never call or message to ask about sensitive information, especially OTPs, pin codes, credit card information, and other important data. Always be careful of clicking on suspicious links, calls, etc. 

Frequently Asked Questions

To Conclude

So, what is SIM swapping? It is one of the most heavily conducted attacks. As mentioned, since the attacker is basically transferring your phone number onto an unauthorized SIM card and device, they can pretty much gain access to all your media accounts. All your media and banking accounts are linked to your phone numbers. It’s where immediate access is granted only via a 2FA sign-in. To prevent it, consider following the security tips mentioned in this guide.