Verizon, which acquired TracFone in late November in a $6.25 billion deal, said it had added security protections to the recently acquired services to prevent such fraudulent transfers. For instance, the prepaid operators will now send customers a text message notification when a transfer request is made.
Attackers have commanded thousands of TracFone customer phone numbers and forced new owners in recent weeks. Verizon Communications Ltd VZ -0.10% To improve safeguards within two months of acquiring a prepaid wireless provider. TracFone offers prepaid wireless services under several brands, including Straight Talk.
TracFone offers prepaid wireless services under several brands, including Straight Talk, Total Wireless, and the brand of the same name. Some Straight Talk customers said they found a sudden disconnection of their telephone line before and after the December holidays.
“Recently, we’ve noticed that malicious people have accessed a limited number of customer accounts and, in some cases, fraudulently transferred or ported mobile numbers to other carriers,” TracFone said. I am saying. Notice posted on the website this month.
According to a Verizon spokeswoman, the attack appears to affect approximately 6,000 TracFone customers, which is part of Verizon’s approximately 24 million prepaid lines. “There is no reason to think this was caused by someone inside,” the spokesman said.
Other customers of various TracFone brands have stated that unknown attackers appear to be targeting cryptocurrency accounts using their commanded phone numbers.
Cell phone line control can be an attractive entry point for scammers Trying to break into the victim’s bank account. Cryptocurrency wallets protected by mobile phone authentication are another common target.
Princeton University in 2020 Research on identification methods Of the five prepaid mobile operators, including Verizon and TracFone, we found that all providers “used an insecure authentication challenge that could easily be destroyed by an attacker.”
Some people are of the belief that their Social Security Number (SSN) is the most valuable number. In reality, your mobile phone number is even more valuable to hackers and scammers.
Take this recent data breach as an example. Scammers can use the breach data to SIM Swap your number and become you. Once the scammer and hackers have control of your number it is a matter of minutes to hours before they reak havoc on your entire life. These scammers and hackers, now that they control your number, can gain access and steal all your bank accounts, crypto, social media, and other accounts. We take for granted how much our mobile controls in our lives.
It is time you protect yourself today and get SAFE secured.