Here’s What Hackers Can Do with Just Your Cell Phone Number

[Andrezj]

Scammers can use your phone number to impersonate, steal from, and harass you and others. Here's what to do if your info is compromised.​

What can someone do with your phone number? I recently met a woman who was scammed when she was newly widowed. Immediately after the death of her husband, many people were in and out of her home, ostensibly to offer help. One of those people helped himself to the new widow’s personal information, including her cell phone number. Among other things, the scammer used her number to gain access to her social security benefits, which he transferred to a different beneficiary.

Here’s What Hackers Can Do with Just Your Cell Phone Number

Hackers and scammers can impersonate, steal from, and harass you, just by knowing your phone number. Here's what you should know if your number is taken.

www.rd.com

 

[HarborFront]

Just go to the telco and change your phone number will do if you suspect your number has been compromised

 

[Stopspying]

Just go to the telco and change your phone number will do if you suspect your number has been compromised

True, but when you have say +20 years of contacts changing a number is a real pain. Sure, playing that off against the consequences of scammers hijacking your number it makes sense. One of the main problems in all of this is the weak security implemented by those business that get hacked, when it is their customers data that gets stolen and then used.

I go along with your list of suggested apps to install, a useful resource for anyone getting started in this matter.

 

[piquiteco]

This is called a social engineering attack, if you catch an uninformed or unsuspecting person, you can fall for scams like this.