One Tech Tip: Protecting yourself against SIM swapping

A SIM card is shown next to a cellphone in this
photo taken on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in London.
Physical SIM cards are going away, replaced by eSIMs
which make switching cell carriers easier.
AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — SIM-swapping is a growing form of identity theft that goes beyond hacking into an email or social media account. In this case, the thieves take over your phone number. Any calls or texts go to them, not to you. 

Any protections consumers enabled to secure access to their financial accounts, such as two-factor authentication texts, now can aid attackers and lock out owners.

Experts say these scams will only increase and become more sophisticated, while the data show they are on the rise. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that SIM-swapping complaints have increased more than 400% from 2018 to 2021, with associated personal losses estimated to be more than $68 million.

Full story at Yahoo News.

By Associated Press Finance.