West Mifflin Police Department warns of ‘SIM swapping’ scams

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — The West Mifflin Police Department is warning that “SIM swapping” scams are on the rise.

SIM swap fraud, according to CTIA, is when a scammer transfers your phone number to another device without your authorization. To successfully do this, scammers will collect data on the victim such as: email, home address and phone number. This information is often available to find on social media or just by a basic online search .

Once the scammers  receive the information they need, they will call your wireless provider and pretend to be the victim to transfer your phone number to a new SIM Card.

At this point, the scammer will have access to the victim’s incoming calls and texts, including account access codes.

For more information on how to protect yourself and your personal information, click here.

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