<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/mobile-phones" rel="" target="" title="phone"><span>phone</span></a><span> going into SOS mode is generally a sign of dodgy reception or a telco outage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But in some cases, it can be something far more sinister.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Phone porting is one of the ways in which scammers and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/cyber-security" rel="" target="" title="cyber criminals"><span>cybercriminals</span></a><span> can steal someone's identity, break into their </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/banks" rel="" target="" title="bank"><span>bank</span></a><span> accounts and other online profiles – and in some cases make off with thousands of dollars.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-rental-reforms-no-grounds-evictions-banned-pets-fee-free-payment-explained/4d7bacff-e416-4b90-adb9-e3e8654012f2"><strong><span>2.3 million Aussie renters have one less reason to be evicted</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The scary part is, there's not that much you can do to stop it from happening in the first place.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This is what you need to know about phone porting, and what you can do to protect yourself from it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What is mobile phone porting fraud?</span></h3></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/technology/phone-porting-scams-australia-what-signs-how-to-protect-yourself-what-to-do-explainer/4a6bfe00-334d-4eb4-887c-cc93ec8f2645" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A phone porting hack is when a fraudster is able to have your mobile number transferred from your device to one they control.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to IDCare, an Australian and New Zealand cybersecurity charity, this generally happens in one of two ways: unauthorised porting and an unauthorised SIM card swap.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Mobile number porting is a completely legitimate service that many of us have used – it allows someone to change telco providers while retaining the same phone number.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, unauthorised mobile porting takes place "when a criminal contacts a different telephone provider, sets up an account with them and requests to have your number brought over from your current provider," IDCare says.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/joe-biden-cancer-things-to-know-about-bidens-prostate-cancer-diagnosis/2857c117-c868-4d0e-8119-5f67df66a384"><strong><span>How aggressive is Joe Biden's prostate cancer?</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A SIM swap is similar, but instead involves the fraudster requesting the activation of a new SIM card using your number.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Many of us use mobile numbers as a form of added security (two- or multi-factor authentication) for accounts like online banking, emails and social media accounts – for example, entering a code that was texted to you to log in somewhere, or using a text prompt to help with a password reset.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, when scammers get control of your number and start receiving all calls and texts sent to it, it means they can access those accounts that use the number for two-factor authentication.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This can lead to them gaining control of bank accounts and being able to transfer all the funds into an account of their own.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/winter-weather-forecast-australia-high-rain-temperatures-snowfall/1d125063-9fd1-43f2-a990-721beb29116b"><strong><span>What you can expect from the weather this winter</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What are the warning signs of a porting hack?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The main warning sign actually happens after the port has happened: your phone will lose service, and go into "SOS mode", telling you only emergency calls are available.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In some cases, you might get a text from your telco saying you've requested that your number be ported to a different network.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If you ever get one of those texts unexpectedly, it's crucial that you contact your provider immediately.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unexpected emails welcoming you to a new telco, notifications of account logins on new devices, and getting locked out of some of your profiles are other red flags indicating you may have been targeted.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If you get any of those warning signs, or otherwise suspect you've fallen victim to unauthorised porting, get in touch with your telco and bank as soon as you possibly can.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/explainer-why-are-there-so-many-banknotes-in-australia-when-hardly-any-of-us-are-using-them/fa613ea9-0758-4961-b60a-785c478356fe"><strong><span>Why are there so many banknotes, when hardly any of us are using cash?</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><span>What can I do to stop unauthorised mobile phone porting?</span></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One of the problems with this kind of fraud is that, because porting is a legitimate service that lots of people use, telcos have had to make it fairly easy to do, and so not that much information is required to port a number – often it's just your name, number and date of birth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>This information can be stolen through phishing scams, so it's important to avoid clicking on any suspicious links and entering personal information into sites you don't recognise.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, because that information can be relatively easy for criminals to find – sometimes on social media, or in discarded mail – there are some other steps worth taking to mitigate the impacts of having your number ported.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>These include using something other than your mobile number as a two-factor authentication method – such as an authenticator app – so that someone won't be able to access your account even if they receive your text messages.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Requesting your telco to put a PIN on your account can help prevent unauthorised porting and using a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/how-to-create-strong-safe-secure-digital-password-passphrases-two-factor-authentication-password-managers/3826013a-5ffd-4b5b-9484-c09bc9c48015" rel="" target="" title="variety of strong passwords on different accounts"><span>variety of strong passwords on different accounts</span></a><span> can make it more difficult for scammers to get in.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>IDCare says using a banking app – with the appropriate multi-factor authentication set up – can also save you some trouble.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Consider downloading your banking app onto your mobile device," it says.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Most banking apps provide the ability to temporarily freeze your accounts and cards."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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