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📶 SIM Swap Scams: How to Lock Your Phone Number
A stolen phone number can unlock your email, bank and crypto accounts. Here is how to lock yours, the warning signs, and what to do if it happens.
Quick answer: Turn on your carrier’s free number lock and set an account PIN today. On AT&T that is Wireless Account Lock; on Verizon, Number Lock plus SIM Protection; on T-Mobile, SIM Protection plus Port Out Protection Techlicious (13 Jul 2026). Then move important accounts off text-message codes.
What is a SIM swap?
A criminal convinces your carrier to move your number to a SIM card they control. They may pose as you in a store or over the phone, or bribe an employee. A port-out does the same by moving your number to another carrier.
Once they have your number, they receive your calls and text codes. That lets them reset passwords for email, bank, crypto and social accounts.
How do I lock my number?
| Carrier | Feature | Where to turn it on |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Wireless Account Lock | AT&T app → profile icon → Wireless Account Lock. Prepaid: Profile & Settings → Account Info & Preferences, one line at a time. |
| Verizon | Number Lock and SIM Protection | My Verizon app → Account → Profile and settings → Security settings. Turn on both, for each line. |
| T-Mobile | SIM Protection and Port Out Protection | T-Life app → Manage → your line for SIM Protection. Port Out Protection sits under Device details → Manage add-ons and data. |
Steps are from Techlicious’s July 2026 walkthrough Techlicious (13 Jul 2026). Also set an account PIN or passcode in each carrier’s security settings Techlicious (13 Jul 2026). AT&T says its lock stops anyone, including its own staff, from porting the number until you switch it off BleepingComputer (1 Jul 2025).
Smaller carriers often have similar settings under account security. If you cannot find one, ask the carrier what stops a SIM change or port-out without you.
Why move off text-message codes?
A carrier lock lowers the risk; it does not remove it. Text codes follow your number, wherever it goes. An authenticator app or a passkey stays on your device.
- Start with email, then banking, investments, crypto exchanges and your password manager.
- Remove your phone number as a recovery option where a stronger option exists.
- Keep backup codes offline. Our hacked account guide covers what to do if you are locked out.
How do I know it is happening?
- Your phone shows no service or emergency calls only, in a place it normally works.
- Your carrier texts or emails about a SIM change, a new device or a port request you did not make.
- You get password-reset or new sign-in alerts you did not trigger.
- Friends say they got odd calls or texts from your number.
What do I do if my number was taken?
- Call your carrier from another phone, or go to a store with photo ID. Ask them to restore the number and add a lock.
- Secure your email, then change passwords on financial accounts.
- Call your bank and any exchange to freeze transfers.
- Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov and to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov.
- Freeze your credit with the three bureaus if personal details may be exposed.
What do the FCC rules say?
The FCC adopted SIM swap and port-out rules in late 2023 Federal Register (8 Dec 2023). They require carriers to use secure methods to confirm it is you before a SIM change or port-out. Carriers must tell you about a SIM change or port-out request before completing it. They must also offer every customer a free lock Federal Register (8 Dec 2023).
Compliance was due on 8 July 2024. On 5 July 2024 the FCC delayed it until a federal paperwork review ends and a new date is published Telecom Law Partners (8 Jul 2024). We have not found a published compliance date.
How common is SIM swapping?
| Year | Complaints to the FBI | Reported losses |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,611 | over $68 million |
| 2022 | 2,026 | $72.65 million |
| 2023 | 1,075 | $48.80 million |
| 2024 | 982 | $25.98 million |
Figures come from FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reports, as compiled by Efani Efani, citing FBI IC3 reports. Falling complaints may not mean fewer attacks. Victims often report the theft that follows instead of the swap itself Efani, citing FBI IC3 reports.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop a SIM swap?
Turn on your carrier's number lock and set an account PIN. AT&T calls it Wireless Account Lock; Verizon has Number Lock and SIM Protection; T-Mobile has SIM Protection and Port Out Protection.
What are the signs of a SIM swap?
Your phone suddenly loses service where it normally works. Your carrier may also warn of a SIM change you did not request, or password-reset alerts start arriving.
Is SMS two-factor authentication safe?
It is better than nothing, but text codes follow your number. If your number is moved, the codes go to the attacker. An authenticator app or passkey is safer.
What should I do if my number was SIM swapped?
Call your carrier from another phone or visit a store with ID, secure your email, alert your bank, and report it at ic3.gov and IdentityTheft.gov.
Do the FCC SIM swap rules apply yet?
The FCC adopted them in late 2023, but in July 2024 it delayed compliance pending a federal paperwork review. We have not found a published compliance date.
What is the difference between a SIM swap and a port-out?
A SIM swap moves your number to a new SIM with the same carrier. A port-out moves your number to a different carrier. Both hand your calls and texts to someone else.