How to avoid the 'SIM swapping' scams that are on the rise
1,044,199
Published 2024-01-18
Reporter: Kristin Crowley, Video: Jason Crow
All Comments (21)
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The phone companies should require people to come into the store with 3 pieces of ID to transfer a phone number to a new SIM card.
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In Germany you have to go to a store physically to demand your sim to be swapped and they will only do it if you bring your ID card to identify yourself
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The fraud is definitely an inside job. I have worked for AT&t before and I've seen scandalous employees doing Sim swaps without a customer's ID.
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Seems like the people who are giving them a new phone are in on the scam
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NOTHING WILL CHANGE TILL ALL WIRLESS CARRIERS ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!! THESE ARE BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES AND THEY ARE NEVER HELD ACCOUNTABLE!!
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You failed to mention that the cell phone providers allow the SIM card swap by NOT insisting on ID before issuing a new SIM card or phone.
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Right straight to a lawyer to sue the phone company for not verfying identification.
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My favorite part was where they say, “if you suspect you’re a victim and your phone stops working, call this number…”.
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The carriers are the problem. They dont have safties requirements for a SIM swap like voice ID, which credit card companies have. A requirement for physical ID isnt there either. Also the phone emlpoyees themselves are the criminals. They get these jobs at phone companies and do the swap for criminal organizations. This is the number one way the swap happens.
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2:19 They protected this investigator's identity by showing us his face. There are criminals who specialize in identifying people by their faces. By showing his face, they have blatantly revealed his identity; the opposite of what they said.
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One of the great things about having no money is no one can drain your bank account.
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1:42 Why don't the phone companies simply call the cell phone or send a text... or just look at account activity or ask for ID to prove otherwise? Almost feels like the workers at the phone company are in on this. Seems like something that you could disprove rather quickly.
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Phone carriers are at obviously at fault ! It's ridiculous they don't check that phone is active or not, you can call it and verify if there is a person or not !
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Please note that this also applies to eSIM. This video is exaggerating the swim swap issue by showing a physical sim card. Hackers are not physically stealing your sim card they are cloning yours remotely.
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Cell companies should insist on an in-person appearance to swap sim cards to a new phone. Verify the ID of the person. If they can't make an in-person appearance, it's most likely they are not the person who's authorized to change phones.
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Something to add, most Major Cell Phone Carriers have an added security measure specifically designed to help prevent "SIM Swapping". It requires extra measures to perform the actions atop any existing measures and can even include your physical presence along with proper identification at one of their store locations. It may take slightly longer, and require a few additional steps when you decide to upgrade your phone, but it's well worth the minor inconvenience for the added protection.
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This convinces me that a land line is still an important asset. If the company issuing the SIM has to call you on another line, they won't deal with the person who has attempted the scam.
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I don’t understand how mobile phone companies just agree to swap SIM cards to strangers without identification, they should be held accountable
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He asked to not be identified, then he shows his face clear as day to millions of people
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Paypal saved the day. Not the banks that held her money and allowed the assets to be transferred. Not the phone company that reassigned her phone number to the scammer. . Paypal identified the suspicious transaction and aborted it.. Never gonna complain about paypal fees again...
