Among the fast-growing scams, “SIM-swapping” has been claiming more victims lately. Philosophy? To restore the phone connection, copy the SIM card from the mobile phone.
It all starts with a fraudulent SMS. As with many scams, the recipient is explicitly asked to click on a link sent to them via text message. Often, the person sending the message poses as a telephone operator. The content of the SMS is simple: a new SIM card is available, but the recipient must click on the link if they are not the originator of the request.
“The link takes victims to a fraudulent site in their operator’s colors, where they are asked to enter their username and password. At that point, victims provide their password to the cybercriminal,” explained CNEWS Jean-Jacques Latour, director of cyber security expertise.
“The cybercriminal will retrieve the account from their operator and order a new SIM card on their account,” he added. Retrieving a new SIM card allows a cybercriminal to spoof a victim’s phone number to send premium text messages and bypass two-factor authentication for online payments.
There is a solution to avoid falling into the trap: “Do not follow the link, go directly to your account with your operator and see if there is an official message saying that there is such a program in your account,” warned the expert.
If in doubt, free transfer to 33700, a platform to combat voice and SMS spam.
