topic Re: Possible SIM swap in Get Support

Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:57:34 GMT

I believe I've been the victim of a SIM swap attack. Here are the series of events that leaves me to believe this (I work in IT security, so I'm somewhat familiar with these attacks):

1. Suddenly, my phone wasn't connecting to any Public Mobile network (I'm not talking about Wifi or Cellular Data, I mean the actual Public Mobile network directly).

2. My Gmail account was suddenly bombarded with registrations to new websites and services, including a PayPal account registration.

3. I visited a store that serves Public Mobile clients, and they didn't know what a SIM swap was, so I opted to purchase a new SIM card to change it myself.

4. I opened my Public Mobile profile/account via the website, and noticed that the SIM card that was registered didn't match with the one in my cellphone.

5. I changed to the new SIM card, and my phone started working again, however:

6. My number is now different that the one I've used in the past decade with Public Mobile.

7. I went back to the store and they were just as confused as I was, and suggested I post here.

My question is, what do I do now if I can't go into any store since those don't exist anymore, and those who resell don't have access to anything.

Re: Possible SIM swap

gpixel — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:16:06 GMT

@Pigma contact customer support mods

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

make sure to check your inbox(top right corner envelope icon) periodically, for a response

if you would like some security I suggest following these instructions

create an email strictly for public mobile
change your name and address on your self serve account
don't use your personal email password for the pm website
don't use a password manager(chrome, safari, etc. apps these are easily hacked
don't use your cellphone number as a 2fa for banks, PayPal etc

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:13:58 GMT

Thank you for your swift response! 😃

Re: Possible SIM swap

esjliv — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:15:53 GMT

Hello @Pigma ,

So sorry, this does not sound good.

Can you still log into your SELF SERVE account?

When you check your SELF SERVE account does your the 4 digits listed there match the last four digits of your SIM in your phone?

You can find this under "Change Sim Card" on your Overview account:

If the numbers are different, let the moderators know this, and start changing your passwords with PM accounts, banking, etc.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:18:23 GMT

I can still login to the self-serve account and have changed my password everywhere.

However, my Gmail uses my phone number as 2FA but also has Google Auth as a backup for events like these.

The last 4 digits for the SIM card in the Self-Serve now match the SIM cards I just purchase moments ago, but when verifying beforehand, it didn't, indicating to me that I was indeed being SIM swapped attacked.

Re: Possible SIM swap

esjliv — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:27:40 GMT

@Pigma wrote:
I can still login to the self-serve account and have changed my password everywhere.
However, my Gmail uses my phone number as 2FA but also has Google Auth as a backup for events like these.

The last 4 digits for the SIM card in the Self-Serve now match the SIM cards I just purchase moments ago, but when verifying beforehand, it didn't, indicating to me that I was indeed being SIM swapped attacked.

@Pigma ,

Make sure to change your security questions, if you have any as well.

Let the moderators know about this, though the link @gpixel provided.

I hope you stopped the fraudsters in their tracks!

Re: Possible SIM swap

gpixel — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:37:35 GMT

@Pigma mods will help you with your phone number. for the future reference, don't register your personal email. use a burner account. ask mods to change your email for you. anyways you can opt out of the 2 step verification

go to Gmail click on your profile picture
click manage your Google account
look under the security tab and you should find the options "use your phone number to sign in" and "2 step verification" turn them both off

Re: Possible SIM swap

RosieR — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:31:53 GMT

@Pigma sorry to hear this had happened to you. The stores cannot help you as they don't have access to your account. Follow the suggestions already given by @gpixel and @esjliv and contact the moderators to fix it for you. I hope it's not too late to get back your old phone number. Take care and good luck!

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 23:33:39 GMT

Done!

Thank you.

Re: Possible SIM swap

geopublic — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:04:05 GMT

@Pigma The name on your selfserve account is insignificant and not worth worrying about.

Change the password on your selfserve account immediately and use a strong password.

Secure your Gmail account because it may have also been compromised.

Call your bank, cc company and freeze your accounts.

Secure all your other online accounts and use an authenticator app when possible.

Good luck.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:06:52 GMT

Thank you for your reply.

Lorren is currently helping me out promptly and it appears she might get my number back. This would require much less damage control - essentially none.

Thank you all for your help. I'll keep you posted for future reference.

Re: Possible SIM swap

darlicious — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:12:54 GMT

@Pigma

When you get the moderators to change your email address if you want to match your community profile and recieve any possible community rewards you will have to create a new community profile with the new email address and contact the moderators from that profile and change your self serve email that way.

If you have only changed your sim card and password in your account you are still vulnerable to a fraudulent port since access to your account was compromised the fraudsters have had access to your name and account #. Go into your account and change your name. Clark Kent, Betty Grable anything this way any port request will fail if they don't know the name on the account.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:17:46 GMT

Will do!

Thanks for the recommendation!

Re: Possible SIM swap

darlicious — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 00:25:13 GMT

@geopublic

All your recommendations have been implemented I only suggested the name change because the name and account number were accessible when the SIM swap occurred. Just in case.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:46:02 GMT

Does anyone know if there are any operating hours from moderator support? My situation was suddenly cut off yesterday around 8:30pm flat and mods have been unresponsive since.

I understand this is "community run", but I would just like to plan accordingly for my situation, considering that time is crucial.

Thank you.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Jb456 — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:51:17 GMT

@Pigma

From help article link.

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/get-support#:~:text=During%20peak%20periods%2C%20you%20may,to%2010%20PM%20Eastern%20time.

When Are Moderators Available And How Long Till I Get A Response?

During business hours, we strive to answer customer messages swiftly. You will often get an answer within an hour. During peak periods, you may need to wait up to 48 hours.

Moderators are available:

Monday to Friday from 8 AM to midnight Eastern time.

Saturday and Sunday from 8 AM to 10 PM Eastern time.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 14:57:58 GMT

Thank you for your quick response.

Re: Possible SIM swap

darlicious — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 21:13:55 GMT

@Pigma

How did they leave it (the issue) did they say we're working on it or something to that effect?

Sometimes a service request will be passed over to the next shift which may or may not be in the same office, city or country.

Other times it may get passed to the tech team to work on and the same moderator will work exclusively on resolving your issue.

Do you feel as though it's not being treated as urgent enough? With any interaction you have with the moderators at the end you can ask for a review link to rate your customer support.

Re: Possible SIM swap

Pigma — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:24:20 GMT

I understand that things take their appropriate time and that not all things can be fixed in an instant. It's just that we were doing a back and forth and it suddenly dropped and stopped.

I'm just worried about my original phone number being in the wrong hands considering how so many things are tied to it when it comes to banking, business and all that. My colleagues and customers aren't able to communicate with me for the time being either.

I'll patiently wait for a response from the team.

Re: Possible SIM swap

gpixel — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 18:05:07 GMT

@Pigma if you've already spoken to them, then don't worry too much. your number is most likely out of commission at the moment. mods are probably looking into the issue