Penticton Mounties warn of cellphone ‘porting scam’
Penticton Mounties say a cellphone number porting scam is underway in the area and warn steps should be taken to ensure personal information won't be compromised.
The cellphone “port-out” scam, has been seen recently by Penticton officers and is becoming an increasingly popular method for scammers to steal from unsuspecting citizens, RCMP media relations officer Const. James Grandy said in a press release.
The scam involves a scammer finding one’s name and phone number and then attempting to gather as much information about you.
Then, the scammer uses this information to contact your mobile provider requesting your number be ported over to a new phone.
Once they have the number ported over to a new device, they can gain access to internet accounts which require a text to phone code for verification. This text is often referred to as “two-factor authentication”, and is increasingly being used by online banking to keep accounts secure.
Tips to protect yourself:
- Ask your mobile phone provider to set up a unique pin code to prevent porting without your authorization.
- Watch out for your cell phone disconnecting from cell service.
- Be careful of texts and emails you receive that request information from you, often called “phishing”.
If you become a victim of this kind of scam, please report it to your local RCMP Detachment.
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