How and Why Hackers Steal Your Phone Number and Spam Call You
In today's digital world, your phone number is more precious than you might think. Many of us have received that barrage of spam calls, but few of us truly know the mechanics of how hackers steal phone numbers and for what reasons. Let's take a look at how it goes down and why hackers care about your digits.
How Hackers Steal Your Phone Number
Data Breaches
One of the major ways hackers obtain your phone number is through data breaches. Any company that retains personal information about their customers can be targeted sometimes in mega hacks, which then expose the personal information of millions of users, including phone numbers. Once these details are out in the wild, they often get sold for profit on the dark web.
Phishing Scams
It means the hackers could gain access to your phone number by phishing emails or fake websites. Let's say that you get an email that is seemingly from one of your usually trusted companies that asks you to "verify" your phone number. Once you submit it, it is hacked.
SIM Swapping
SIM swapping is a more direct and dangerous way for hackers to exploit your phone number. This entails the hacker convincing your mobile carrier to transfer your number to a new SIM card controlled by them. Once they have control of your number, they can bypass two-factor authentication with that, and take over a variety of accounts.
Social Engineering
Also, hackers can use customer care agents to deliver your phone number details on their doorsteps by posing to be the subscribers; a trick known as social engineering, wherein one manipulates human error or trust to gain access to your personal information.
Unsecured Public Information
If you have ever posted your number publicly on a forum, social profile, or job listing, rest assured, that hackers will have no problem scraping them for their malignant self-serving purposes. Most websites are vulnerable to being crawled by bots looking to gather contact information from public pages.
Why Hackers Want Your Phone Number
Spam Calls & Robocalls
One of the major reasons hackers steal phone numbers is to sell them to companies or individuals who will then spam you or robocall you. Your number becomes part of a database that gets sold and resold, hence the endless telemarketing or fraudulent calls.
Identity Theft
Your phone number can be a piece of vital information used by hackers for identity theft. Such hackers may combine that with other stolen information from you, like your name, address, and email address, to impersonate you. This then translates into financial fraud, unauthorized credit card application, or even a crime committed in your name.
Account Takeover
Lots of online services, from banking to social media, offer some form of two-factor authentication based on sending verification codes to your phone number. Once a hacker has taken control of your number, he can intercept those codes and access your accounts.
Selling on the Dark Web
Personal information such as phone numbers is bulk-sold on the dark web. They may make profits by selling your phone number to other malicious actors who might use it for spam, phishing attacks, or worse. These sales often go through anonymous markets, which are hard to trace.
Phishing & Smishing (SMS Phishing)
Once hackers have your phone number, they can start sending you smishing- bad links via text message. If you happen to click on a link, the hackers might just load malware onto your phone, hijack your login credentials, or socially engineer you into divulging sensitive information.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
Be Discreet As To Where You Share Your Number
Avoid publishing your phone number in open spaces online; share it only with those sites and services that absolutely require it.
Use a Secondary Number
Consider making a secondary or virtual phone number that you will use on the Web, or any public profile for which you don't want to expose your main number.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication - 2FA
Rely on app authentication, such as Google Authenticator, or Bitwarden Authenticator, instead of SMS-based 2FA. This way, additional security is introduced, which has nothing to do with your phone number.
Be Wary of Phishing Attempts
Watch out for unwarranted texts or calls or emails that claim to seek personal information from you. Any time a request seems fishy, take the necessity to always check whether this source is genuine before giving away anything.
Monitor Your Accounts
Regularly review your online accounts and credit reports for suspicious use. If you detect unauthorized use, report it immediately to stop further damage.
Final Thoughts
The phone number has become the entry key into our digital life, thus becoming the prized target for many hackers. It is useful to understand exactly how they obtain your number and why they want it in the first place, to then allow you to proactively do something about it. No one can assure you of staying completely out of the reach of hackers, but a little awareness and caution can go a long way in minimizing risks.
Hence, if you are one of those victims of phone number theft or get spam calls constantly, it is high time you revise your privacy settings and go the extra mile for more safety. Be aware, and be safe!