SIM swapping (or SIM jacking) is one of the nastiest hacks you can fall victim to. It essentially reroutes your mobile number to a different SIM and a different phone. Not only does it mean that all your texts and calls go somewhere else, it also means that your two-factor codes, which are often essential for logging into online accounts such as your email and banking, are also rerouted.

The scam is carried out in the same way as when you register a new SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module) yourself if you change provider but want to keep your number, or if you somehow lose your original SIM card and need a new one. Only it is not you who requests the change, but someone pretending to be you.

As dangerous as a SIM swap attack can be, there are ways to protect yourself from it and try to regain access to your phone number and accounts if you think you have been targeted by this particular type of hack.

The key to a SIM swap attack is to trick your mobile service provider into swapping your existing mobile number for a new SIM. Different providers have different security controls to prevent this, but essentially a scammer needs access to sensitive information so they can impersonate you. This could be an address, a password, or the answer to a security question.