Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

[vibikki]

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

[AE_Collector]

For the $5 or less cost per card it is a perfect way to help someone get onto Public Mobile when they also get the $10 credit for using your referral code and we get $1 a month credit. Of curse if they are gone in less than a half year we lose as we don't make enough to pay off the SIM card we bought but this is good for PM too as I doubt they really want customers who are only here for a couple of months. But like many of us I have my fingers crossed for the return of the $20 referral credit as well as the $1/month credit that was around from last Black Friday until January 2 or 3. That brings the salesman out in most of us!

AE_Collector

[LurganIeUk]

I have done similar. After awhile it is a good feeling just to give. 

[AE_Collector]

@LurganIeUk 

Ironically I just gave someone two SIM cards to get both of them onto Public Mobile. But he is a friend from the past who just moved back to Canada. He mentioned activating both new accounts with my referral code but I instructed him to activate one and then register his Self Serve account to get HIS referral code and then activate the second account. This one isn't the normal friend referral.

AE_Collector

[geopublic]

@vibikki  If they want to activate the card for you then stay away.

[LurganIeUk]

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

NO, it is a legitimate person offering you a free SIM card for the referral. The giver knows that she/he will only ever give you one free SIM, as in the future you will use YOUR referral code with friends and family. That person also is fairly knowledgeable and will help you. 

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

NO, that person does not know that much more about you.......and will never know your full phone number....and if for some reason you change to a different SIM #, they have no idea. 

I was given one and it was mailed to me free as well and here is what I figured out. 

The giver has spent $10 for a SIM. The giver will receive $1 a month off for every month you stay on PM. And after 10 months of you having an account, the SIM expense has been paid back to the giver.  

The giver asks you to activate it from the SIM information that they provide, and you now too  have dollars into to the process as you have set up an account with a plan. The giver is now confident that it is time to ship the SIM to you after the last 4 digits of your new number are confirmed. The giver does not want to just give you one because she/he has no idea when you will set up and account or if you use their referral. 

You activate it and the SIM is no longer good to the giver, unless the giver highly unlikely tries to use it. But soon after, you can suspend your account and prevent it from being used while in transit and once received you can remove the suspend. But let the giver know why you did that. 

There is a slight risk for both sides of the transaction. All goes well you will save $20 plus taxes on a one time basis. 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

---

@computergeek541 wrote:

---

@vibikki wrote:

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

---

Yes, it's possible, but only because someone wanting to give you a free SIM card is probably going to want you to activate it.  If I know your phone number, SIM card, and name, I could probably convince a moderator that I forgot the self serve account e-mail and password.

---

But what are they gonna do...hold a gun to your head yelling activate using this referral code!!!

Social engineering can be done anyway. If you don't know the person giving you the card then you're just anonymous. If you do then how good a "friend" are they.

[computergeek541]

---

@vibikki wrote:

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

---

Yes, it's possible, but only because someone wanting to give you a free SIM card is probably going to want you to activate it.  If I know your phone number, SIM card, and name, I could probably convince a moderator that I forgot the self serve account e-mail and password.

Quite honestly though, someone who is offerig you a free SIM card is looking to gain referrals. Stealing the account doesn't help the person in the long run. It would only give them free service up until the amount of time that you've paid for your plan. Long term referrals are much more important and having very low-priced or potentially free service on an account that they actually use is going to be more important than taking over a phone number that they don't care about.

[Anonymous]

---

@vibikki wrote:

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

---

1. No.

2. No.

If they pre-activate the SIM for you and you don't change anything then yes.

I don't know if a SIM # can be duplicated/spoofed.

Otherwise, they have to know how to log in to your account. Make that's too difficult for a scammer to bother.

[hairbag1]

---

@vibikki wrote:

Is it a scam if someone gives you a free public mobile sim card ?

Is there a scam that the scammer can take over your number and your account information by only knowing the sim card # ? 

---

If it's from a stranger...don't do it.

If you know the person to be honourable, then take it and activate. They probably will give you their referal code and you'll get a $10 credit and they get $1 Refer-a-Friend reward every time their plan renews.