And the major credit rating agencies use Social Security numbers to match people to their credit histories. Companies like AT&T and T-Mobile want to know if you have a record of paying your bills on time before agreeing to provide you an account or to sell you a phone in monthly installments. Why do phone companies want your Social Security number?īecause it’s the easiest way to check your credit rating.
#Verizon sim card hack software
This is what happens when a malicious software attack turns a business owner’s life upside down. A ransomware attack blew it to smithereens But that convenience can backfire if your number is hijacked, then used to impersonate you online.Ĭolumn: He spent 24 years building his business. It’s increasingly common for people to use their mobile phone numbers as a way to verify their identity - for example, when they log into their online banking account, or when they want to reset their password. That’s where someone persuades your mobile phone company to transfer your number to a different device, which he or she then uses to try to break into the accounts that you’ve tied to your phone number. That creates an opening for at least one more malign possibility: a SIM-swap attack. The T-Mobile breach also exposed the phone numbers, device identifiers and SIM-card numbers for more than 13 million of its current customers.
#Verizon sim card hack password
Or they could use it to dupe your bank into letting them change the password on your account, giving them access to your money. For example, they could use it to make phishing emails seem more realistic, helping to persuade you to give up additional sensitive information such as a password or personal identification number (PIN).
Identity thieves could use that information to target both you and the banks, insurers and other companies you do business with. Throw in your name, birth date and email address (which the ShinyHunters claim to have stolen too), and it’s significantly easier for someone to pretend to be you. Your stolen Social Security number can be used to open fraudulent credit card accounts, divert or fraudulently collect benefits and commit workplace fraud, among other forms of deceit. Social Security numbers are widely used by the federal government, banks, investment companies, government benefit programs and insurers to verify your identity.