Cell Phone Scam Types and How to Spot Them

Your phone number does more than ring. Banks, businesses and payment services often use text messages to verify your identity, the FCC says. That makes your number a target, and a cell phone scam can hit you in more ways than one.

What cell phone fraud means under the FCC's definition

The FCC defines cellular fraud as the unauthorized use, tampering or manipulation of a cellular phone or service. Its guide names three types: SIM swapping, cloning and subscriber fraud. Each one works differently, and each leaves different signs.

This is not the same thing as scam calls. If that is what you are dealing with, start with our page on FCC scam calls.

How SIM swapping and number porting scams work

Your mobile phone number can legally be ported from one provider to another when you switch service. The FCC says scammers have been known to initiate porting requests. If one goes through, your number moves to a phone the scammer controls.

A scammer can also physically steal your SIM card and use it in their own mobile device.

That is dangerous because of what those texts contain. A scammer who takes over a phone number can gain control of your private texts and calls. The FCC says a scammer who succeeds can drain bank accounts and sell or ransom social media data. Your bank sends a verification code to your number, and the scammer reads it.

Phone cloning: how scammers steal your phone's identifiers

Every cell phone should have a unique factory-set electronic serial number and a mobile identification number. The FCC calls these the ESN and MIN. Together, they tell the network which phone is placing a call.

A cloned cell phone is one reprogrammed to transmit the ESN and MIN of another phone. The clone then looks like yours to the network. The scammer places calls, and the network bills them to you.

How do scammers get those numbers? The FCC says they can steal ESN and MIN combinations by illegally monitoring radio wave transmissions from phones of legitimate subscribers. The FCC says the legitimate phone user gets billed for the cloned phone's calls.

That is why strange charges matter. If you are getting billed for calls you never made, cloning is one possible reason.

Subscriber fraud: accounts opened in your name

Subscriber fraud occurs when a scammer signs up for cellular service using fraudulently obtained customer information or false identification. The FCC says criminals can obtain your personal information and use it to set up a cell phone account in your name.

You may carry this account for a long time without knowing it exists. The FCC says it may take time to discover subscriber fraud, and even more time to prove you did not incur the debts.

This is identity theft with a phone attached.

Warning signs to watch for on your phone bill and account

Each type of fraud leaves its own trail. Here is what to look for.

• Calls or charges you do not recognize. The FCC says the legitimate phone user gets billed for a cloned phone's calls. Strange numbers on your bill deserve a close look.
• An account you never opened. The FCC says criminals can use your personal information to set up a cell phone account in your name.

Read your bill every month, not just when something feels wrong.

What the FCC's guidance says to do if you spot unauthorized activity

The FCC says to alert your service provider if you see unauthorized calls or charges on your account.

If the problem is subscriber fraud, the FCC gives a longer list. It says to contact local law enforcement and file a police report. It also says you can file an identity theft report with the FTC.

Then work the account itself. The FCC says to notify your current service provider and the service provider for the fraudulent account.

Subscriber fraud also reaches your credit. The FCC says to place a fraud alert on any of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. The bureau you notify will share the fraud alert with the other two.

Keep watching after that. The FCC says to keep checking your credit report at each credit bureau at least once a year. The FCC says you can check a different credit bureau report every four months for free at annualcreditreport.com. That spreads the three reports across the year.

The FCC does not promise the money comes back. It warns that proving you did not incur the debts takes time.

Where to learn about blocking scam calls and spoofed numbers

Cloning, SIM swapping and subscriber fraud are attacks on your account. Scam calls are attacks on your patience. Both can cost you, so it helps to know the difference.

If the calls themselves are the problem, learn how to block scam phone calls.

Scammers also fake the number on your caller ID. Read about the phone number spoofing scam to see how it works and what the rules say about it.

Your phone may label some incoming calls before you answer. Our page on scam likely calls explains what that label means and when to trust it.

A hijacked number is scary, but the FCC's guidance gives you a clear order of work. Alert your provider, and if it is subscriber fraud, file the reports, notify both companies and set the fraud alert. Then keep an eye on your bill and your credit until the problem is fully closed.

Sources

• Cell Phone Fraud | Federal Communications Commission