SIM swapping is a growing scam where criminals take over your cell service without ever touching your phone.
“I am absolutely terrified.” Emotionally drained after scammers stole thousands of dollars from her, Jenna doesn’t want to share her last name.
“It’s such a violation, and I just feel like I don’t trust anybody,” Jenna said.
She contacted Cricket Wireless after getting a text about changes to her account, then lost her service. That’s when she discovered another name was added to her cell plan.
Jenna said that’s when she panicked. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, let me check my account, my bank account.’”
Scammers had taken over her phone service, accessed her bank account and used Zelle, the payment transfer app, to swipe $3,500. They even opened new credit cards. It turns out her phone’s SIM card had been remotely swapped and thieves had stolen her number.
“I understand If I lost my phone, but they just took the number right out of the phone, like through the air,” Jenna said.
SIM SWAPPING
It’s called SIM swapping. A scammer pretending to be the consumer contacts the cell provider and convinces the company to switch the service to a SIM card in the perpetrator’s possession, which then enables them to get all the calls and text messages, including multi-factor authentication codes used to access bank accounts.
“This crime could have tentacles, and it could reach into all aspects of someone’s life.” Eva Velazquez with Identity Theft…
