T-Mobile has devised a new system to deter criminals involved in SIM swap scams.
A few weeks back, employees of T-Mobile and Verizon reported receiving texts inciting them to swap customer SIMs in return for a payment. The news was a source of concern for customers, leaving them with limited options to safeguard all the accounts tied to their number from bad actors. It also didn’t help that the carrier issued an unsatisfying statement regarding the matter. Thankfully, T-Mobile will reportedly soon enforce a measure to prevent unauthorized SIM swaps.
An illegitimate SIM swap is when someone fraudulently hijacks your number by transferring it to a different phone. This is dangerous because it gives a hacker access to everything associated with your number, including your financial accounts, email accounts, and social media accounts. They can even text friends and family from your number and convince them to send money by pretending the number holder (you) is in an emergency.
