Vodacom goes to great lengths to protect its customers from potential SIM-swap fraud. Having control of your cellphone number can allow criminals access to your personal information, putting them on the road to a spending spree at your expense. To combat this, Vodacom has many measures in place to stop this from happening to their customers. By knowing how SIM-swap fraud happens, you can protect yourself from becoming a victim.
What is SIM-swap fraud?
SIM-swap fraud is when criminals manage to convince your cellphone provider to issue a replacement SIM for your phone, giving them control of your phone number, and allowing them to gain access to your OTP pin or in other instances commit accounting fraud.
How is SIM-swap fraud done?
To initiate a SIM swap, criminals first need your personal details. They might obtain these by sending you a phishing email, and thus gaining access to your computer. Sometimes, details are stolen from shared computers that are infected with software that records your keystrokes – if you log on to your banking website at an internet cafe, for example.
Once they have your personal details, scamsters can call a cellphone provider’s helpdesk and easily answer security questions such as your home address or work phone number. That’s why Vodacom will often ask you tricky questions like when you last recharged your account, or what your most-called numbers are.
Some fraudsters take it a step further by first harassing the SIM owner with many spam calls. This encourages you to turn off your phone, so they can do the SIM swap undetected.
If criminals have managed to get a copy of your ID or other documents, they could also do a SIM swap at a store.
Once they have the new SIM, the fraudsters can use the bank details they stole earlier to transfer money from your bank account to theirs, or to buy goods on internet shopping sites.
What does Vodacom do to protect its customers?
Vodacom has a number of proactive measures in place to combat SIM-swap and internet banking fraud:
- Banks can check when last the customer requested a SIM swap on a specific mobile number before they send an OTP to that number. This is done through an automatic interface, and some banks are already using it.
- The customer authentication processes have been enhanced, restricting SIM swaps done by business partners (dealers and franchises), and introducing a two-hour delay, allowing the customer time to validate the sim swap.
- Customers are sent more warning SMSes to notify them potential SIM swap.
How can I protect myself against it?
There are a number of ways you can protect yourself from SIM-swap fraud.
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Only install apps that are available on the Google Play store or App store.
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Ensure you have the latest anti-virus, anti-malware software installed on your mobile phone.
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Never click on links in emails that you are not 100% sure are legitimate. When in doubt, do not click.
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Avoid using free, open Wi-Fi or public computers to access your bank account.
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Set up SMS alerts with your bank to be notified whenever there is a transaction. Keep a close eye on your bank statements.
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Save your bank’s fraud support number on your phone. The sooner you report issues, the more likely you will get your money back.
On your cellphone
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Be aware of your phone’s connectivity status. If you suddenly can’t make calls or get messages, contact Vodacom immediately and ask if there has been a SIM swap on your number.
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Never ignore a SIM-swap SMS alert: If you receive such a message, call Vodacom immediately. If you receive a call from someone who says they are from Vodacom, telling you to ignore the SMS, report it to Vodacom immediately.
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If you suspect or confirm that you are the victim of SIM-swap fraud, deactivate your SIM by calling Vodacom’s customer care.
What should I do if it happens to me?
Vodacom will always notify you via SMS whenever a SIM-swap attempt is made. If you receive this SMS, but have not requested a SIM swap, you should alert Vodacom about the fraudulent request by calling customer care on 082 135, or 135 from your Vodacom phone.
