NEED TO KNOW.
JASON: IT IS KNOWN AS SIN
SWAPPING.
IT CAN DESTROY YOUR CREDIT AND
COMPROMISE YOUR MOST PRIVATE
DETAILS.
YOU CAN COMPLETELY LOSE CONTROL
OF YOUR APPS AND PHONE.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN?
SOMEONE CAN CALL YOUR CELL PHONE
CARRIER AND PRETEND TO BE YOU.
>> I HAD NO SIGNAL.
JASON: MIKE THOUGHT IT WAS A
GLITCH -- NO SIGNAL ON HIS CELL
PHONE.
THEN HE NOTICED EMAILS FROM HIS
BANK AND E*TRADE ABOUT MONEY
WITHDRAWALS.
>> I WAS PANICKING.
JASON: THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WERE
COMING OUT OF HIS ACCOUNTS.
HE QUICKLY LEARNED HE WAS A
VICTIM OF WHAT IS KNOWN AS SIM
SWAPPING.
>> ATTACKERS WILL CALL YOUR
MOBILE CARRIER AND CONVINCE THE
HELPDESK THAT YOU NEED TO GET A
NEW SIM CARD BECAUSE YOU LOST
YOUR PHONE, BECAUSE YOUR SIM
CARD BROKE.
JASON: ANDREW SAYS SCAMMERS HAVE
ENOUGH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU
THROUGH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA
HISTORY OR OTHER DATA BREACHES
TO CONVINCE YOUR MOBILE CARRIER
TO USE THE CLOUD TO MOVE YOUR
PHONE NUMBER AND OTHER PRIVATE
INFORMATION TO A NEW SMARTPHONE
SIM CARD.
>> YOUR SERVICE GETS TRANSFERRED
TO THE ATTACKER'S SIM CARD, AND
THEY ARE IMPERSONATING YOU FROM
THEN ON OUT.
JASON: THIS IS YOUR SIM CARD IN
YOUR PHONE WHICH STORES YOUR
CONTACTS, TEXT HISTORY, AND
MORE.
>> THEY HAVE TAKEN OVER YOUR
IDENTITY AND OTHER HAVE ACCESS
TO YOUR EMAIL, YOUR BANK
ACCOUNT, ALL YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA,
ALL YOUR CONTACTS, TO ALL THE
TRANSACTIONS YOU HAVE EVER DONE
IN THE PAST.
BASICALLY, THEY WILL OWN YOUR
IDENTITY AT THAT POINT.
ALL BY CONVINCING THE CARRIER
THAT THEY ARE YOU.
JASON: WHILE YOU ARE RESTARTING
YOUR PHONE AND TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT IT IS HAPPENING, CRIMINALS
ARE RESETTING PASSWORDS TO YOUR
BANK ACCOUNTS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
ACCOUNTS.
>> AS A CONSUMER, YOU WILL NEVER
KNOW IT HAPPENED UNTIL YOUR
PHONE GOES DEAD.
>> MY HEART IS IN MY THROAT
BECAUSE I'M SEEING THIS GUY --
LITERALLY, HE WOULD MAKE A
TRANSACTION AND IT WOULD SHOW
UP.
BOTH OF US WERE LOGGED INTO THE
ACCOUNT AT THE EXACT SAME TIME.
JASON: EVENTUALLY, HE WAS ABLE
TO GET HIS ACCOUNT BACK AND STOP
THE HACKER BY ACCESSING HIS
ACCOUNTS THROUGH HIS LAPTOP.
IT ALSO HELPED THAT HE USED
EMAILS AS HIS MAIN WAY TO VERIFY
HIS ACCOUNT.
YOU CAN ALSO USE ANOTHER PHONE
NUMBER LIKE A WORK CELL OR HOME
NUMBER AS A BACKUP VERIFICATION
NUMBER WITH YOUR ACCOUNTS.
>> WHEN YOU ARE DOING
VERIFICATION, SETTING UP BANK
CARDS, CREDIT CARDS, ACCOUNTS,
MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING MORE
THAN ONE METHOD TO VALIDATE WHO
YOU ARE.
JASON: HOW CAN YOU STOP A SIM
SWAPPER FROM TRICKING YOUR
CARRIER?
>> BE VERY CAREFUL HOW MUCH
INFORMATION YOU POST ONLINE.
THAT CAN BE EASILY HARVESTED AND
PUT IN A DATABASE AND AS THEY
COLLECT MORE AND MORE
INFORMATION, EVENTUALLY THEY
HAVE ENOUGH OF A PROFILE TO GO
CONVINCE SOMEBODY ELSE THAT THEY
ARGUE.
JASON: SO THINK ABOUT YOUR NEXT
SOCIAL MEDIA POST.
ARE YOU REVEALING YOUR MOTHER'S
MAIDEN NAME OR PET'S NAME?
ALL THESE DETAILS CAN HELP A
SCAMMER PRETEND TO BE YOU.
YOU CAN ALSO PREVENT THE SCAM BY
CALLING YOUR CELL PHONE PROVIDER
AND ADDING UNIQUE PIN NUMBER FOR
ACCESS.
THAT CAN LOWER YOUR CHANCES OF
BECOMING A VICTIM, BUT THERE ARE
NO GUARANTEES.
AS YOU HEARD, THESE PEOPLE ARE
VERY CONVINCING.
ALAN: AND TH
