CHIP - contact if mobile phone unavailable?

flaneurs_lobster

k_man said:

masonic said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Seems that there are very few reasons why adding a PIN to lock your SIM would not be a good idea (even if it was just the same as your phone unlock PIN, although ideally something else).

Access to communications on a mobile phone number has become one of the primary ways financial (and non-financial) institutions challenge customers to prove who they are, so it is quite important. Along with locking down your account with your network provider so that someone cannot port your number onto a new SIM, protecting your SIM from being popped into any phone and used by someone else is quite important.

While also disabling SMS messages being shown on the lockscreen.

This is very good advice.

masonic

flaneurs_lobster said:

masonic said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Seems that there are very few reasons why adding a PIN to lock your SIM would not be a good idea (even if it was just the same as your phone unlock PIN, although ideally something else).

Access to communications on a mobile phone number has become one of the primary ways financial (and non-financial) institutions challenge customers to prove who they are, so it is quite important. Along with locking down your account with your network provider so that someone cannot port your number onto a new SIM, protecting your SIM from being popped into any phone and used by someone else is quite important.

I would hope that every network provider has stringent procedures to stop a third party from swapping a number to a new SIM without my authorisation/knowledge but as we all know the bad people have ways to circumvent these.

I often see the advice that you will be aware of this happening if your phone loses service. So that's about 6 times a day as I walk around the city centre.

Are "big four" providers better at protecting their customer's assets than the MVNOs? Are there specific actions or instructions you can give to your supplier to make it more rigorous (and, of course, onerous)?

I don't think you can rely on the size or popularity of a network provider to be any assurance that they have superior security practices. It is helpful to understand your own provider and what steps it requires to legitimately transfer your number to a new SIM. Some of the virtual networks might have better processes in these areas as they rely less on fallible human CS agents.

Some good precautions to take are to choose a unique complex password for online account access, enable 2FA, and secure your registered email address where a password reset link might be sent. Also pay careful attention to security questions (memorable info), which may be used in a phonecall to CS to bypass all of the other security that has been set up ("Oh dear, I seem to have lost my phone. I can't access my email without it, and don't remember my password, but I can lookup remember my mother's maiden name and where I went to school. Is that good enough?")

Band7

I have TWO passwords for my phone calls to my provider, EE. Both are different to my EE online password. Default is one telephone password but you just call them and ask for a second one to be set  up as you are concerned about fraud. I was previously with BT, where I could also have a second telephone password. I would expect other providers are offering the same.

Anyone wanting to change my SIM would need to know both my telephone passwords. I am therefore not particularly concerned about SIM swap fraud.

AmityNeon

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/02/sky-mobile-moves-to-protect-uk-customers-from-sim-swap-fraud.html

Comment regarding EE (emphasis added):

EE offered me the ability to set an account password to prevent this, which I initially declined as I was in a rush but then called back the next day to turn it on.
Speaking to the very helpful guy he asked me why I wanted to, and when I explained about SIM swap fraud and the heightened exposure I have to this given my industry, he offered something better. There’s now a block on my account meaning that they can’t swap SIMs over the phone, I have to go to an EE store with passport or drivers license to get a SIM replaced.
I didn’t know that this was something that could be done and I’d recommend it to anyone who will be able to easily get to a physical store for their network.