By having your cell number, a scammer could trick caller ID systems and get into your financial accounts or call financial institutions that use your phone number to identify you. Once the scammer convinces your carrier to port out your number, you may never get it back. Scam porting is a big problem for phone owners.

What if a scammer uses my phone number?

This scam, also known as port-out or SIM splitting fraud, allows criminals to hijack your cell phone number. Once they have your number, the bad guys can clean out your financial accounts, confiscate your email, delete your data and take over your social media profiles.

Is giving your phone number safe?

Use common sense to keep your phone number safe from hackers and scammers. Dont make your phone number public on websites, and dont share it with people and businesses you dont know. Treat your phone number with the same care youd treat other personal information. That extra bit of caution can go a long way.