Cell Phone Fraud

[Altavia]

Your mobile phone number may be the key to your most important financial accounts. Text messages are often used by banks, businesses and payment services to verify your identity when you request updates to your account.

Mobile phone numbers can legally be ported from one provider to another when you switch your mobile phone service, and can also be ported from one mobile phone to another when you upgrade or change devices.

Scammers have been known to initiate porting requests. If they have enough of someone's personal information, they can attempt to con a victim's mobile phone company into believing the request is from the authorized account holder. If the scam is successful, the phone number will be ported to a different mobile device controlled by the scammer.

One defense is to contact your cell carrier to lock or freeze your phone number such that you have to verify any changes to the account.

Port-Out Fraud Targets Your Private Accounts | Federal Communications Commission (https://www.fcc.gov/port-out-fraud-targets-your-private-accounts)

[I]What’s your most important financial number? Is it your Social Security number? The number on your bank account?]

Your mobile phone number may be the key to your most important financial accounts. Text messages are often used by banks, businesses and payment services to verify your identity when you request updates to your account.

Mobile phone numbers can legally be ported from one provider to another when you switch your mobile phone service, and can also be ported from one mobile phone to another when you upgrade or change devices.

Scammers have been known to initiate porting requests. If they have enough of someone's personal information, they can attempt to con a victim's mobile phone company into believing the request is from the authorized account holder. If the scam is successful, the phone number will be ported to a different mobile device controlled by the scammer.

https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/cell_phone_fraud.pdf

[opinionist]

I had a scammer send a text to my cell phone about fraud on my bank account spoofing the phone number for my bank. They called on the phone and wanted the login information for my bank account. RED FLAG. I hung up and called the same number that they spoofed and the bank said there was no fraud other than the scammer that contacted me.

[ThirdOfFive]

I had a scammer send a text to my cell phone about fraud on my bank account spoofing the phone number for my bank. They called on the phone and wanted the login information for my bank account. RED FLAG. I hung up and called the same number that they spoofed and the bank said there was no fraud other than the scammer that contacted me.
I answer no calls unless I know the person/organization personally. If it is important I assume they will leave a message and I can then answer them, but I'd say 90% of the incoming calls result in the person/organization/computer terminating the call before my answering service picks up. When that happens I immediately dump the call, block the number and report junk.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

start with the assumption that all calls not in your phonebook are scammers. . let them leave messages. .
then investigate independently. . I had one which was very authentic looking, but not related to anything I have recently purchased. .

if its amazon, check your amazon account first.

Otherwise, just don't answer it. .

If you google the number and the number doesn't come back with anyone, or anyone who should be calling you, its a scammer from an unused / stolen number.