If your phone begins to present anomalous behaviorssuch as the impossibility of accessing the Internet or making calls, you could be a victim of a cyber scam. In that case, you should review your bank account as soon as possible, since it is likely that criminals are trying to appropriate your money.
As sources from the National Police Corps“fraud through Sim Swapping is one of the most current cybethemph modalities.”
As detailed National Policecriminals collect personal data through techniques such as Phishingthe use of malicious software or by observing profiles in social networks. With this information, they manage to double your card SIM To install it in another terminal. Once they get control of the telephone number, cybercounts can access confidential information such as keys and bank data. In this way, they have the possibility of transfers to accounts linked to the criminal network or even request loans immediately, according to the police force itself.
How to know if you are being a victim of Sim Swapping
The National Police It offers several tips to detect if you are suffering a SIM card exchange attack, which could lead to serious financial risks.
The first alert symptom is that you cannot make calls or send SMS. This can happen if the scammers have deactivated your SIM card to use your number from another device.
Another indication is to receive a notification from your operator informing you that your SIM card has been activated on another phone or device.
If you discover that you can no longer access your bank accounts or online cards because your credentials have stopped working, it is essential that you contact your bank as soon as possible to rule out possible fraud.
What to do if you affect a Sim Swapping case
The Organization of consumers and users (OCU) He warns that when someone requests a duplicate from your SIM card, the original is deactivated immediately, leaving you without a signal and without access to mobile services. This is the first sign that alarms must jump.
“If this happens to you, contact your operator immediately to confirm if someone has made a duplicate of the SIM card without your permission and, quickly, inform your bank of what has happened,” they recommend from the OCU.
In addition, this organization recalls that current legislation establishes that, in case of an unauthorized payment, the bank must return the amount immediately. However, the financial entity can refuse to do so if it shows that there was intention or negligence fraud by the client.
How to protect against Sim Swapping
The Internet Safety Office (OSI) suggests the following recommendations to avoid falling into this type of fraud:
- If you suddenly lose the coverage for no apparent reason, communicate immediately with your operator to determine what has happened.
- Activate two steps verification in your accounts: it is an extra security layer that makes it difficult to access your data by third parties. You can use applications such as Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator.
- Check and update your account recovery options in case your information has been compromised.
- Control what personal data you share on social networks such as Tiktok, Instagram or Facebook. Configure privacy so that only your contacts can see your activity and publications.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links or open attachments of emails or text messages, since cybercounts usually supplant known identities.
- Change your passwords regularly and choose safe combinations that are not predictable.
- Do not enter sensitive information, such as passwords or bank data, when you are connected to public Wi -Fi networks.