In short, it’s a type of attack, by scammers and criminals who fake your identity and convince a mobile carrier to move your mobile number to a new sim card, rendering yours useless.
Once the scammer has control of your mobile phone number they can use it to pretend to be you, further infiltrating your accounts. – most dangerous is using your mobile number to reset and verify access to your online banking.
Notably Linus Sebastian of Linus Tech Tips, a YouTube channel with over 15.4 Million subscribers was the target of such an attack in 2016.
In Australia, the ACMA took action to protect Aussies from such an attack by implementing new rules around how a telco verifies a swap or port to another provider. – the changes taking effect on June 30, 2022.
What should I do, If I fall victim to this type of attack?
Act quickly, contact your bank, telco and the file a police report.