A SIM card is a small card containing a chip that allows your phone to make or receive calls and texts and holds various data and information.

What is SIM swapping or SIM hijacking?

SIM swapping or SIM hijacking is a scam where criminals take over your phone number by tricking your phone company into transferring your number to their SIM card.

How does SIM swapping work?

Scammers collect personal information, call your phone company pretending to be you, and convince them to activate a new SIM card they control. They then receive all your calls and texts, allowing them to access your accounts.

How do scammers collect personal information for SIM swapping?

Scammers collect information through phishing emails, malware, social media, or by purchasing data from the dark web.

What information do scammers use to trick the phone company?

Scammers use personal information such as your name, birthdate, passwords, and even Social Security number to answer security questions and trick the phone company.

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SIM Swapping & SIM Hijacking : Protect Yourself From This SIM Card Scam

Komal Bajpai

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Updated: 19-04-2025 at 8:30 AM

SIM fraud is probably the most common kind of fraud happening today. Most people use their mobile phones, which makes it easy to influence somebody's life by using electronic means. The same applies to SIM card fraud.

A trickster steals a person's SIM card or changes the number using somebody else's SIM card. This trickster then gains unauthorised access to a victim's mobile phone number, controls his or her calls, messages, and eventually gains access to confidential information, such as bank accounts.

Thousands of cases dealing with SIM card fraud are reported every year, and this trend appears to be getting worse.

What Is A SIM Card Scam?

A SIM card scam is an instance of fraud whereby the perpetrator impersonates the owner of the number by duping the mobile providers into transferring the number to a fake SIM card managed by them. Otherwise known as SIM swapping or SIM hijacking scam, this fraud scans open holes in the security of mobile networks and two-factor authentication, allowing criminals to access personal data and unauthorised access to the financial information.

Most of these SIM card fraud cases like the one above go unnoticed until the victim realises his or her bank account or personal information has been tampered with.

Recent Case Of SIM Swap Fraud

There was, for instance, the case of a soldier who lost a considerable amount of money from his State Bank of India account, as fraudsters managed to obtain a duplicate SIM card for him from Airtel without verifying his identity. Fraudsters took advantage of this security weakness by taking over his phone number, which allowed them to intercept SMS-based authentication messages.

The hackers moved large amounts from his SBI account by using the soldier's personal banking information and his one-time passwords. This is a scam call wherein an easy SIM swap is carried out by telecom service providers with lax verification protocols and the individual's vigilance over account security.

How Does A SIM Card Scam Work?

Scammers Gather Personal Information:

First, a hijacking scam gains access to the victim's personal data. Social media thieves steal personal data through phishing, malware, and even buying it from illegal sources. That alone yields the necessary personal information, but it also enables them to successfully impersonate the victim.

Tricking the Phone Provider:

Once the fraudster has all the information about the victim, he calls the telephone company and presents himself as the owner of the account. He states that he has misplaced his SIM card and wants a replacement. If all goes as planned, the telephone company will give the scammer his fake SIM card. The scammer will then have the victim's number and messages transferred into his machine.

Hijacking the Phone Number:

The person then gets the SIM card, and a thief takes the victim's number and begins tapping the security codes, calls, and texts used for two-factor authentication, where security codes are sent to the victim's phone in order to confirm access.

Accessing Financial Accounts:

The scammer can easily bypass all the security measures as he will be in control of the phone number of the victim. He will access all financial accounts, social media, and other online platforms. The scammer can even create other further bank accounts on the victim's name secretly to transfer funds without a hitch. This is highly effective in carrying out financial theft using a stolen SIM card

What Is The Purpose Of Sim Swapping

The purpose of SIM swapping is to gain unauthorised access to a victim’s mobile phone number, enabling scammers to intercept calls, texts, and security codes used for account authentication. By controlling the victim's number, scammers can reset passwords, gain entry into bank and social media accounts, and ultimately steal sensitive information or funds. This method allows fraudsters to bypass standard security measures, especially those using two-factor authentication through SMS, making it a lucrative method for financial theft and data breaches.

Signs That May Indicate A Sim Swap Fraud

Let’s learn how to check whether or not you have fallen prey to sim card scammers.

There is a government portal that helps you figure out how many numbers exist under your name.
Visit the Tafcop portal.
Fill out your number. They will then send an OTP to that number. Fill out the OTP, and then all the SIM cards under your name will be visible.
Check all the numbers, and if you find a number that is not yours, report it immediately. In 2 hours, you will get a message regarding the cancellation status.

How To Protect Your Personal Information From Sim Swap Fraud

SIM swap fraud occurs when a fraudster takes control of your phone number and may compromise the sensitive information linked to that number. To avoid fraud of this type against you and protect your personal data, it is very much important that some preventive measures be taken. However, some key steps to safeguard one's information include the following:

Set up PINs or passwords with your mobile carrier to secure your account from unauthorised access
Protect sensitive accounts with MFA, ensuring an extra layer of security beyond just your phone number
Be alert to signs like loss of service or unfamiliar alerts, which could indicate SIM swap attempts
Avoid oversharing personal details on social media to reduce the risk of fraudsters gathering information to bypass security measures.
Enable notifications for any significant changes in your mobile account to quickly detect potential fraud
.
If you suspect any unusual activity, report it to your mobile carrier right away to block further fraud

How To Secure Your Mobile Phone From Sim Swap Fraud?

SIM swap fraud is becoming a new danger, usually when fraudsters seize your mobile number to steal access to your banking, online, and other secured information. But nothing can truly save one's phone from frauds more than vigilance coupled with proactive security measures. Here are some key steps:

Use 2FA for online accounts to add an extra layer of security.
Choose a strong PIN or password with your mobile service provider for account protection.
Never share your mobile number or sensitive information on social media or via unsecured channels.
Enable alerts for account activity, such as SIM swaps or changes.
Be cautious of unsolicited messages or emails asking for personal details.
Use app-based authentication methods (e.g., Google Authenticator) instead of SMS-based 2FA.

How To Report a SIM Card Scam?

Unfortunately, if you have become a victim of such a scam, you should first reach out to your mobile provider. Explain what happened in detail and ask them to investigate how the scam took place despite concrete authentication procedures.Editor 2

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Secondly, you should also get in touch with your financial organisations to check any uninformed transactions. Let them know about the scam so that they can stay alert from their end.

Finally, report the suspected fraud communication to Chakshu. It is an initiative by the government of India that allows citizens to report fraud related to Bank Accounts / Payment Wallets / SIM / Gas connections / Electricity connections / KYC updates/expiry/deactivation, impersonation as Government official / relative, sextortion, etc.

Conclusion

This is an easy process initiated by the government with the increase in SIM card scams. With this, you can easily identify your numbers and report all the numbers that aren’t yours. This prevents scams from happening and increases safety as well.

With the rise of scams everywhere, it is important to be cautious about everything. Inform and educate your friends and family about this website so that they can also watch out for scammers and be safe.

To know more about sim card fraud call 1123372071 today, be alert and stay safe. For latest information on scams and how to stay safe against them, visit Jaagruk Bharat.

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