what to do if scammers have my phone number

 With the steady catamenia of data breaches, your cell phone number is probably out at that place in the wild and on the dark spider web. Scammers use cell phones for various scams and fraud. The question is, what can yous do virtually information technology?

The Run a risk of Giving Out Your Cell Phone Number

Only virtually everyone these days has a cell phone, and it has get intrinsically linked to our identity. Identity thieves are always searching for new ways to go your information and employ it for identity theft or fraud.

The most significant danger of handing out your mobile device number is that it could autumn into the hands of a cybercriminal and steal information from jail cell phone. With so much information available in public records and sold on the dark web from information breaches, your cell phone number could link you to a lot of other personal or sensitive data like logins, usernames, passwords, and more than.

SMS Insecurity

A lot of apps are linked to your cell phone number also. Using two-factor authentication is bully and keeps things safer, simply if you have compromised telephone number, so hackers take the keys to the kingdom. Some SMS systems are insecure and hackable. Therefore, someone would potentially get that special code that is texted to you from an app, and they could log into your account and modify the password earlier you fifty-fifty realize what is going on. It'south crucial to use end-to-end encrypted SMS platforms for all your communications.

SIM Swapping

SIM swapping is another danger where nefarious criminals use SIM cards linked to your phone to steal access to your telephone number and carrier account. This type of danger is very real and scary and usually involves social engineering to play tricks the phone company representative. By having your cell number, a scammer could trick caller ID systems and get into your financial accounts or call financial institutions that use your phone number to place you.

Once the scammer convinces your carrier to port out your number, you may never get it back. Scam porting is a big trouble for phone owners.

Can Someone Steal My Phone Number?

Yes. Your telephone number is out there on the spider web in various locations. Scammers can employ stolen cell phone numbers and employ information technology for ii-factor hallmark codes and other admission to all your texts, apps, and other online accounts, they could have your jail cell phone number hijacked and practice it through SIM swapping. This is how information technology occurs:

First, they buy a burner phone and popular a new SIM card into it. They and so phone call your wireless phone carrier and pretend to be you. If the hacker has enough information to convince the person, they may transfer your service and phone number to that bare SIM carte and the new burner phone. Now your phone number has been stolen, and you aren't even aware of it. All your texts, phone calls, and 2FA codes will now get to the hacker's phone instead of yours. If y'all have access to banking company accounts and other apps tied to your phone number, they will at present have access to that stuff too. Many location-based systems volition call up it's y'all but by the scammer calling from your phone number. If hackers get this far, they tin then change all your passwords and lock you out of your own accounts. Very scary stuff.

How Practise Scammers Get Your Phone Number?

Ane of the well-nigh common ways scammers get your phone number is through the many information breaches and treasure troves of raw data found and sold on the dark web.

Some other way is past picking through your trash and grabbing an former bill with your phone number on it.

Using a people search site, someone could glean a whole lot of information on prison cell phone numbers, such equally any criminal records, past addresses, social media accounts, arrests, warrants, court cases, relatives' information, and more.

How Much Info Can Y'all Get From a Cell Phone Number?

It's actually quite shocking how much data you tin go from just a cell phone number. The listing begins with your proper name and possibly accost. Some other things might be:

• Past addresses.
• Relatives' names.
• Where y'all live.
• Your assets and how much you paid for your firm.
• All your criminal records.
• Driving records.
• Legal issues (defalcation, liens, taxes, court cases, lawsuits, etc.).
• Travel information.
• Social media accounts.
• Other online accounts.
• Email addresses.
• Vital records.
• Deep web and night web records.
• Mugshots.
• Professional licenses.
• IP address.
• VIN number.

xi Ways How Can Scammers Use Your Phone Number

Unfortunately, the power of your telephone number is immense, giving hackers and scammers a lot of options to do bad things. Some of the well-nigh mutual are:

1. Access your social media accounts.
2. Text bulletin or contact your friends and family to scam them.
3. Spoofing your phone number and calling people you lot know to commit fraud.
4. Text phishing messages to your contacts - this is called "smishing."
5. Hijack your mobile telephone number and take over your digital life.
6. Commit identity theft pretending to exist you lot.
7. Access your online bank accounts or credit card accounts and take them over.
8. Apply your number for robocalls.
9. Ship phishing emails to your email account.
10. SIM swap to steal your phone number.
11.  Admission your voicemail.

What Steps to Take if Scammers are Using Your Telephone Number

The best way to avoid this cybersecurity disaster is to preclude it from ever happening. Nevertheless, if you suddenly observe that scammers are using your phone number to commit fraud or scam others, you should take these firsthand steps:

• Contact your wireless service provider and report the abuse. Enquire them to put a secondary password on your account and so no ane can take it over without the password.
• Let your friends and family know that your number is existence used in this way.
• End giving your phone number out online and to anyone who requests it.
• Stay clear of websites and apps that link to your phone.
• Turn on ii-gene authentication for all your accounts.
• Go a phone number through Google voice which is non linked to anything else.
• Never click on links in texts or electronic mail. Malware is often linked to text messages or electronic mail.
• Apply very strong passwords and never reuse them on multiple websites.
• Use third-party authenticators when you lot can.
• Update your security questions on all accounts including Gmail.

Do all y'all can to keep your phone number condom from hackers and identity thieves.

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Source: https://www.idstrong.com/sentinel/your-phone-number-is-out-there-what-can-someone-do-with-your-phone-number/