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	"id": "e89eb963-595e-49d4-a53e-c09f7c347bf4",
	"created_at": "2026-04-06T00:19:11.070619Z",
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	"title": "What is a SIM Swapping Scam? Protect Your Device Against SIM Hackers",
	"llm_title": "",
	"authors": "",
	"file_creation_date": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
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	"plain_text": "What is a SIM Swapping Scam? Protect Your Device Against SIM\r\nHackers\r\nArchived: 2026-04-05 21:21:14 UTC\r\nStay a step ahead of the scammers. Educate yourself on some of the most common frauds and scams.\r\nI need to report an unauthorized SIM change.\r\nIf you received a message from Verizon advising that a new SIM card or a new device is being activated on your\r\nline and you or an Account Manager on your account did not make this request, contact us immediately by dialing\r\n*611. This is an airtime-free call and will work even if your device has been deactivated. You can also call us by\r\ndialing 1-800-922-0204 from any phone. If you need to contact us after regular business hours, Chat With Us and,\r\nafter logging in, type 'Live Agent' into Verizon Chat Assistant to access 24 hour live chat support.\r\nWhat is an unauthorized SIM change, also known as a SIM swap?\r\nUnauthorized SIM changes, sometimes called SIM swapping or SIM hijacking attacks, occur when a customer’s\r\nphone number is transferred to a different SIM card or eSIM profile under the control of a criminal. If the SIM\r\nswap is successful, the criminal may intercept the customer's phone calls and text messages to receive one-time\r\nsecurity codes from social media, banks, credit card companies, cryptocurrency exchanges, and other financial\r\ninstitutions, allowing them to potentially access those accounts and cause financial and reputational harm to the\r\ncustomer. \r\nBut, not all SIM changes are bad! Authorized SIM swaps may happen when you upgrade your device, or when\r\nyou troubleshoot or replace a lost or stolen device.\r\nHow does fraudulent SIM swapping work?\r\nCriminals typically use SIM swaps as a way to steal your phone number so they can access your bank or other\r\nfinancial accounts. They often start by gathering as much personal information about you as they can from social\r\nmedia, the Internet, the dark web, previously compromised accounts, and directly through phishing 1. They use\r\nthis information to pretend they are you, in an effort to gain access to your Verizon account and transfer your\r\nmobile number to a different SIM card or eSIM under their control. Once they've \"swapped\" your SIM, calls and\r\ntexts to your phone number route to the phone in the criminal’s control. At that point, the criminals can use their\r\nphone to receive one-time security codes or calls that banks and other companies use to safeguard customer\r\naccounts. In some cases, you might not know this has even happened until your phone no longer works. \r\n1. Phishing\r\nPhishing occurs when criminals send you fraudulent requests for personal information, usually posing as a\r\ncompany or government agency.\r\nhttps://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nPage 1 of 5\n\nHow to protect against SIM swap.\r\nProtect your account by following these best practices:\r\n1. Add SIM Protection At no cost to you, SIM Protection offers you the ability to lock lines on your account\r\nto prohibit changes to the SIM cards associated with those lines. No request to change your SIM will be\r\nprocessed until you unlock the SIM protection feature on the line. See instructions below on how to add\r\nSIM Protection.\r\n2. Use strong and unique passwords. Each of your online accounts should have a strong and unique\r\npassword or passphrase. Resist the temptation to reuse passwords or create similar passwords across\r\nvarious accounts, especially between social media and financial accounts. Always enable two-factor\r\nauthentication wherever it’s available. Use a password manager to create and manage complex passwords.\r\n3. Be suspicious of unsolicited texts, e-mails, and calls, especially those urging you to act immediately\r\nand provide personal details. Verizon will never contact you to request any password, PIN, social\r\nsecurity number, or payment information. If you receive a suspicious text message claiming to be from\r\nVerizon, please forward it to us right away at S-P-A-M (7726), then delete it. Also, don’t ever share your\r\npersonal information online, and never reply to calls, emails or text messages that ask for personal\r\ninformation.\r\n4. Give your online security an upgrade. If you have been the victim of a SIM hijacking attempt, you\r\nshould change the passwords for services such as your financial institutions and e-mail immediately. Use\r\nthe “security dashboard” of your e-mail provider to look for any suspicious logins from computers or\r\nlocations you don’t know. Change your passwords on a regular basis and review your credit report often to\r\ncheck for any unauthorized accounts or inquiries. Review Verizon’s tips for preventing phishing attacks.\r\nHow do I add SIM Protection?\r\nAt no cost to you, SIM Protection offers you the ability to lock the lines on your account to prohibit changes to the\r\nSIM cards associated with those lines.\r\nOnly authorized Account Owners or Account Managers can enable or disable SIM Protection for all lines on the\r\naccount. \r\nVerizon Wireless postpaid customers: This feature is available through the My Verizon website 2 and My\r\nVerizon app. 3\r\n \r\n3. My Verizon App.\r\nTo enable/disable SIM Protection through My Verizon app: for Postpaid\r\nSign in to My Verizon.\r\n1. Select Account Tab at the bottom of the screen.\r\n2. Select Edit Profile and Settings (Under Welcome and Your Name).\r\n3. Scroll to the Security Menu.\r\n4. Select SIM Protection.\r\nhttps://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nPage 2 of 5\n\n5. Select the appropriate number(s) to protect (i.e., by toggling On or Off).\r\nIf SIM Protection is on, green displays on the toggle button.\r\nIf SIM Protection is off, black displays on the toggle button.\r\nLines that have SIM Protection enabled are blocked from all transactions requiring a new SIM, including SIM\r\nswaps, device upgrades, and bring-your-own-device transactions. \r\nWhen SIM Protection is turned off, there is a 15-minute delay period before transactions requiring a new SIM can\r\nbe completed\r\n2. My Verizon website\r\nTo enable/disable SIM Protection through My Verizon website for postpaid customers\r\n1. Sign in to My Verizon.\r\n2. Select Edit Profile and Settings (Under Welcome and Your Name).\r\n3. Scroll to the Security Menu.\r\n4. Select SIM Protection.\r\n5.  Select the appropriate number(s) to protect (i.e., by toggling On or Off).\r\nIf SIM Protection is on, green displays on the toggle button.\r\nIf SIM Protection is off, black displays on the toggle button.\r\nLines that have SIM Protection enabled are blocked from all transactions requiring a new SIM, including SIM\r\nswaps, device upgrades, and bring-your-own-device transactions. \r\nWhen SIM Protection is turned off, there is a 15-minute delay period before transactions requiring a new SIM can\r\nbe completed.\r\nVerizon Wireless prepaid customers: This feature is available through the My Verizon website 4 and My\r\nVerizon app 5\r\n. \r\n5. My Verizon App\r\nTo enable/disable SIM Protection through My Verizon App for prepaid\r\n1. Sign in to My Verizon.\r\n2. Click the menu icon in the upper left corner.\r\n3. Select Account.\r\n4. Select Account Settings.\r\n5. Click on the Security tab.\r\n6. Select Manage SIM Protection.\r\n7. Select the appropriate number(s) to protect (i.e., by toggling On or Off).\r\nIf SIM Protection is on, green displays on the toggle button.\r\nIf SIM Protection is off, black displays on the toggle button.\r\nhttps://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nPage 3 of 5\n\nLines that have SIM Protection enabled are blocked from all transactions requiring a new SIM, including SIM\r\nswaps, device upgrades, and bring-your-own-device transactions. \r\nWhen SIM Protection is turned off, there is a 15-minute delay period before transactions requiring a new SIM can\r\nbe completed.\r\n4. My Verizon Website\r\nTo enable/disable SIM Protection through My Verizon website for prepaid\r\n1. Sign in to My Verizon.\r\n2. Go to Account \u003e Account Overview \u003e Settings.\r\n3. Under Manage Account Settings, scroll down and click on SIM Protection.\r\n4. On the SIM Protection page, select the appropriate number(s) to protect (i.e., by toggling On or Off).\r\nIf SIM Protection is on, green displays on the toggle button.\r\nIf SIM Protection is off, black displays on the toggle button.\r\nLines that have SIM Protection enabled are blocked from all transactions requiring a new SIM, including SIM\r\nswaps, device upgrades, and bring-your-own-device transactions. \r\nWhen SIM Protection is turned off, there is a 15-minute delay period before transactions requiring a new SIM can\r\nbe completed.\r\nVerizon Wireless Business customers: This feature is available through the My Business application or\r\nwebpage and My Business Application (Find out how on the My Business Support page).\r\nWhen SIM Protection is enabled on a line, the status of the line is changed to Locked. A Locked line cannot\r\nprocess a SIM change and device upgrade until the SIM Protection is turned off. This ensures that your number is\r\nprotected from SIM swapping. \r\nWhen SIM Protection is added, you will receive a notification via a text message that the feature is turned on and\r\nactive. \r\nHow do I remove SIM Protection?\r\nDisable SIM Protection \r\nWhen you need to request a SIM change or device upgrade on your line, you can simply turn the SIM Protection\r\noff in the same menu where you turned it on. When you change the SIM Protection status to Unlocked, it will take\r\n15 minutes before the restrictions are lifted. After 15 minutes, you will be able to make any needed SIM changes\r\nor submit device upgrade orders for your line. Please note that, for account security, our retail and customer\r\nservice representatives are not able to turn SIM Protection off for you - it must be disabled through the My\r\nVerizon website or the My Verizon app. \r\nWhen SIM protection is turned off, you will receive a notification via SMS that the feature has been turned off. \r\nhttps://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nPage 4 of 5\n\nTo prevent unauthorized users from taking control of your line, we encourage you to turn the SIM Protection back\r\non as soon as you complete the SIM change or device upgrade. \r\nSource: https://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nhttps://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping\r\nPage 5 of 5",
	"extraction_quality": 1,
	"language": "EN",
	"sources": [
		"MITRE"
	],
	"origins": [
		"web"
	],
	"references": [
		"https://www.verizon.com/about/account-security/sim-swapping"
	],
	"report_names": [
		"sim-swapping"
	],
	"threat_actors": [],
	"ts_created_at": 1775434751,
	"ts_updated_at": 1775826692,
	"ts_creation_date": 0,
	"ts_modification_date": 0,
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