Podcasts Technology Security, Spoken How to Protect Yourself Against a SIM Swap Attack

How to Protect Yourself Against a SIM Swap Attack

Published: Aug. 20, 2018, 4:31 p.m.

A spate of hacked Instagram accounts. A $220 million lawsuit against AT&T. A bustling underground crime ring. They all have roots in an old problem that has lately found new urgency: SIM card swaps, a scam in which hackers steal your mobile identity\u2014and use it to upend your life. At its most basic level, a SIM swap is when someone convinces your carrier to switch your phone number over to a SIM card they own. They\u2019re not doing it for prank call cover, or to rack up long-distance charges.