Scammers are relentless, and they use anything and everything to try to get your information. Your phone is no different.
Phishing
Scammers can text you or call you pretending they are your bank or an online subscription. These texts and calls are designed to get your credit card information, login details, and other types of personal information. That is where it starts. Now that they have that information, they can use it for other activities.
Blackmail
Scammers will call claiming that they have some “evidence” of you in compromising situations. They can make it seem real enough, and the pressure they can put on you is harsh, wanting you to pay up or it will be released.
Another way they have been using elderly folks’ numbers is by calling them and pretending to be a family member in trouble or in an emergency situation — claiming the individual is in need of financial support to post bail or for medical help. The scary part is that with AI voice technology, they can even use the relative’s voice! That is emotional manipulation designed to get you to fall for the scam and pay the “help needed.”
Spoofing Numbers
This is a great way to make folks think a legitimate company or relative is calling you. That makes these calls more likely to be answered.
There is the other way around too. They can use your number to contact relatives and play the same tricks on them!
Pretending to Be a Government Agency
Another way they try and trick you is by calling and telling you that they are from the police, FBI, or even Social Security. They will urgently tell you that you are under investigation or that someone is using your Social Security number for nefarious activity. Then they threaten you with legal action such as arrest or lawsuits, demanding immediate payment.
Invoices
Speaking of immediate payment, scammers can call claiming to be from a trusted company and demand you pay your invoice or a service, such as power, water, or phone, will be turned off. They can even call you over and over, making it seem urgent.
SIM Swapping and Phone Rerouting
Scammers can literally steal your phone number. They can use the SIM that was sent from your phone carrier by rerouting the mail to a third-party address. Once they have it, they can initiate password resets and intercept the MFA codes sent to your phone via SMS.
Lock your SIMs. You have the ability to set all the SIM cards on your account to a locked status. Check with your provider and see if you can too!
How to Protect Yourself
- Don’t share your phone number openly to the public. Make sure you do not post it in forums or on social media.
- Use a secondary number for registering for accounts online.
- Monitor your accounts often for suspicious activity, including your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
- Use a different means for your security codes. SMS is not safe — try an authenticator app or hardware token that only you have access to.
- Lock your credit reports and monitor your identity online. A password manager like NordPass can also monitor the dark web for your information being breached. Make sure you are using one!
- Remove your information from the internet. There are services that can do this for you. They are not cheap, but if your information is appearing in many locations, it can be well worth it.
If You Are Already Compromised
- Contact your cell phone company immediately and lock your SIMs.
- Block numbers that keep calling you.
- Change your phone number — a horrible thing to have to do, but it might be the answer.
- Freeze your credit.
- Review your bill for unexpected charges or changes.
- Set up secure passwords and MFA wherever you can.
It is a scary world out there, but with the right actions, you can protect yourself.