What Is The Phone Number For At&t Customer Service

Criminals can steal your telephone number by pretending to exist yous, and then moving your number to another phone. They'll then receive security codes sent via SMS on their telephone, helping them gain access to your bank account and other secure services.

What is a Port Out Scam?

"Port out scams" are a big problem for the entire cellular manufacture. In this scam, a criminal pretends to exist you and moves your electric current phone number to some other cellular carrier. This procedure is known as "porting," and is designed to let y'all proceed your phone number when you switch to a new cellular carrier. Any text messages and calls to your telephone number are so sent to their telephone instead of yours.

This is a big problem considering many online accounts, including banking company accounts, apply your phone number equally a two-factor authentication method. They won't let you sign in without sending a code to your phone showtime. Only, later on the porting scam has taken identify, the criminal will receive that security code on their telephone. They could employ it to proceeds access to your financial accounts and other sensitive services.

Of course, this blazon of assail is most dangerous if an attacker already has admission to your other accounts—for example, if they already have your online banking password, or admission to your electronic mail business relationship. But it lets the attacker bypass the SMS-based security messages designed to protect you in this situation.

This attack is also known as SIM hijacking, every bit information technology moves your phone number from your current SIM card to the attacker's SIM card.

How Does a Port Out Scam Work?

This scam has a lot in common with identity theft. Someone with your personal information pretends to be you, asking your cellular carrier to motility your phone number to a new phone. The cellular carrier volition ask them to provide some personal data to place themselves, simply often providing your social security number is good enough. In a perfect world, your social security number would exist private—but, equally we've seen, many Americans' social security numbers have leaked in breaches of many big businesses.

If the person tin successfully fool your cellular carrier, the switch takes identify and whatsoever SMS messages sent to you and phone calls intended for yous will exist routed to their phone. Your telephone number is associated with their phone, and your current phone won't take call, texting, or data service anymore.

This is really just another variation of a social engineering set on. Someone calls a company pretending to be someone else and uses social technology to proceeds access to something they shouldn't have. Like other companies, cellular carriers want things to be as easy equally possible for legitimate customers, so their security may not exist tight enough to fend off all attackers.

How to Stop Port Out Scams

We recommend making sure you take a secure PIN ready with your cellular carrier. This PIN will be required when porting your phone number. Many cellular carriers previously only used the concluding iv digits of your social security number every bit a PIN, which fabricated port out scams much easier to pull off.

• AT&T: Ensure you've ready a "wireless passcode", or Pivot, online. This is different from the standard password you use to sign into your online account, and must be four-to-viii digits. You may also want to enable "actress security" online, which will brand your wireless passcode required in more than situations.
• Dart: Provide a PIN online on the My Sprint website. Along with your account number, this PIN volition be used to ostend your identity when porting your phone number. Information technology'south split up from the standard online user business relationship password.
• T-Mobile: Call T-Mobile customer service and ask to add "Port Validation" to your account. This is a new vi-to-15 digit countersign that must exist provided when you're porting your number. Nosotros don't know why, just T-Mobile doesn't let y'all do this online and forces you to telephone call in.
• Verizon: Set a 4-digit account Pin. If y'all haven't already ready ane or don't remember it, you lot tin alter it online, in the My Verizon app, or by calling customer service. You should also ensure your My Verizon online account has a secure password, every bit that password could be used when porting your phone number.

If y'all have another cellular carrier, check your carrier's website or contact customer service to find out how protect your account.

Unfortunately, there are means effectually all these security codes. For example, for many carriers, an attacker who could gain access to your online account could change your PIN. We as well wouldn't exist surprised if someone could all your cellular carrier, say "I forgot my Pin," and somehow reset it if they knew enough personal data. Carriers need to have a way for people who forget their PINs to reset them. Merely this is all you lot can practice to protect yourself against porting.

Mobile networks are working on beefing up their security. The large four U.s.a. cellular companies—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon—are working together on something called the "Mobile Authentication Taskforce" to make porting scams and other types of fraud harder to pull off.

Avert Relying on Your Phone Number equally a Security Method

Phone number port out scams are one of the reasons y'all should avert SMS-based two-step security when possible. Nosotros all like to remember our phone numbers are completely under our command and only associated with the phone we own. In reality, that's just not true—when you lot rely on your phone number, you're relying on your cellular carrier'due south client service to protect your phone number and stop attackers from stealing it.

Instead of getting security codes sent via text bulletin, we recommend using other two-gene security methods, similar the Authy app for generating codes. These apps generate the code on your phone itself, and then a criminal would actually need to have your phone—and unlock it—to get the security lawmaking.

Unfortunately, many online services require you to apply SMS verification with a phone number and don't provide another pick. And, even when services do provide some other option, they may permit you lot send a lawmaking to your telephone number every bit a backup method, just in case. You can't always avert SMS codes.

RELATED: Why You Shouldn't Use SMS for Two-Factor Authentication (and What to Utilise Instead)

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As with everything in life, it's impossible to completely protect yourself. All you tin practise is brand it harder for attackers—keep your devices secure and your passwords private, ensure you have a secure PIN associated with your cellular phone account, and avoid using SMS verification for important services.

Image Credit: Foto.Touch/Shutterstock.com.

What Is The Phone Number For At&t Customer Service,

Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/358352/criminals-can-steal-your-phone-number.-heres-how-to-stop-them/

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