# SIM swap scams: what they are and how to protect yourself

Source: https://tempsmsverify.com/glossary/sim-swap · Last updated: 2026-10-23

A SIM swap happens when someone gets your mobile carrier to move your phone number onto a SIM card they control. From that moment, your calls and texts, including every verification code, go to them. This page explains how the scam works, what the official numbers say, and the specific steps that make you a hard target.

## What is a SIM swap?

A SIM swap is a fraud in which a criminal persuades or bribes your mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a SIM card they control. Your phone suddenly loses service, and the attacker receives your texts and calls, including one-time codes, which they use to reset passwords and take over email, bank or crypto accounts.

## How does a SIM swap scam work?

A legitimate SIM swap is routine: you lose your phone, buy a new one, and your carrier moves your number to the new SIM or eSIM. Criminals abuse exactly that process. A close cousin is port-out fraud, where the attacker moves your number to a different carrier instead of a new SIM on the same one. The result is the same.

A typical attack follows a pattern:

- Research: the attacker collects your name, number, address and date of birth from data breaches, social media or phishing.
- Impersonation: they contact your carrier, in a store, by phone or online, pretending to be you, or they pay a corrupt insider.
- The swap: your number is activated on their SIM. Your own phone shows 'No service' or 'SOS only'.
- Code harvesting: they request password resets on your email, bank, exchange and social accounts and receive the codes by SMS.
- Lockout: they change passwords and recovery options before you can react, often within an hour.

## How common is SIM swapping?

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) tracks SIM swapping as its own crime type. Its 2025 report, published in 2026, lists 971 complaints and $17,366,758 in reported losses. Reported losses have fallen for three years in a row, but these figures only count victims who filed a report with the FBI, so the true total is higher.

| Year | Complaints | Reported losses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2023 | 1,075 | $48,798,103 |
| 2024 | 982 | $25,983,946 |
| 2025 | 971 | $17,366,758 |

## What are the warning signs of a SIM swap?

Speed matters, so learn to recognize the first signs. Any of these is a reason to call your carrier immediately from another phone.

- Your phone loses service without explanation while others around you have signal.
- You get a text or email from your carrier about a SIM change, eSIM transfer or port request you did not make.
- You receive verification codes or password reset emails you did not request.
- You see login alerts from a new device or location on your email or bank account.
- Your bank or exchange reports transactions you do not recognize.

## How do you protect yourself from a SIM swap?

The FTC's SIM swap alert (2019) and its two-factor authentication guide give the core advice: add a PIN to your carrier account, watch for phishing, and use an authenticator app or security key, because text message verification may not stop a SIM swap. In November 2023 the FCC also adopted rules requiring US wireless carriers to use secure authentication before a SIM change or number port, to notify customers about those requests, and to offer account locks.

- Turn on your carrier's number lock, SIM protection or port-out PIN. Most US carriers offer one in their app.
- Move important accounts from SMS codes to passkeys, security keys or an authenticator app.
- Remove your phone number as a recovery option on accounts that support a better method.
- Use a unique password and 2FA on your carrier account itself.
- Limit what you post publicly: birthday, address and phone number are the raw material of impersonation.
- Use a separate number for low-trust sign-ups so your main number is published in fewer databases.

## What should you do if you are SIM swapped?

Act within minutes, not hours. Call your carrier from a landline or a friend's phone, report the fraudulent swap and ask them to restore your number and lock the account. Then change the passwords for your email first, followed by banking and any account that used text codes. Check bank, card and crypto activity and report unauthorized charges.

Report the crime to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If the attacker had your personal data, IdentityTheft.gov gives a step-by-step recovery plan. Keep a record of times, case numbers and names of the people you spoke to.

## Do temporary numbers help against SIM swaps?

Partly, and it is worth being precise. A temporary number from TempSMSVerify lets you complete a one-time sign-up without giving that site your personal number, which keeps your real number out of one more database that could leak. Fewer places holding your number means less material for an attacker.

A temporary number is not a defense for accounts you already have. It expires after up to 20 minutes, so it must never be your 2FA method or recovery phone. The real protection is a carrier PIN plus a phishing-resistant second factor, explained in /glossary/two-factor-authentication.

## FAQ

### How do I know if I have been SIM swapped?

The clearest sign is that your phone suddenly shows no service or SOS only while you are in a normal coverage area. Other signs include carrier notices about a SIM or eSIM change you did not request, unexpected verification codes and new-device login alerts. Call your carrier from another phone right away.

### Can a SIM swap happen with an eSIM?

Yes. With an eSIM the attacker asks the carrier to transfer your number to an eSIM on their device instead of a plastic card. The fraud happens at the carrier account level, not on your physical phone, so the same protections apply: an account PIN, a number lock and alerts for SIM changes.

### What is the difference between a SIM swap and port-out fraud?

In a SIM swap the criminal moves your number to a new SIM at your current carrier. In port-out fraud they transfer your number to a different carrier. Both put your texts and calls in their hands. A port-out PIN blocks the second, and an account lock or SIM protection setting blocks the first.

### Can someone SIM swap me without my personal information?

It is much harder. Attackers rely on your name, number, address, date of birth or account details to impersonate you, or on a corrupt carrier employee. The FCC's 2023 rules tell carriers not to rely on readily available biographical or account information to approve SIM changes, and a carrier PIN adds a secret the attacker does not have.

### Does 2FA protect me from SIM swapping?

Only if the second factor is not your phone number. SMS 2FA is exactly what a SIM swapper wants to intercept. An authenticator app, passkey or hardware security key lives on your device, not on your number, so moving the number to another SIM does not give the attacker your codes.

### Where do I report a SIM swap scam?

First tell your carrier so it can restore and lock your number. Then report the crime to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If personal data was exposed, follow the recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov and notify your bank and any affected exchanges.

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