No Phone Service

[Simoneabolarind]

All day today my phone kept saying "Emergency Calls Only".  My account is active and paid up.  I eventually realized that my number was re-directed to another SIM Card and used to authenticate illegal transactions online from my bank account.  How as someone able to do this?  I still have no phone service.  What do I do now?

[Simoneabolarind]

Yes, the number was ported back.

Thanks

[darlicious]

@cellphoneuser1 

I think the OP meant that the service was paid up and active vs suspended. If you are going to assume ones identity to then access their finances porting makes it much easier to have the time to complete the crime. Taking over an account only limits the time required to achieve the maximum goal. Once ported a phone number is essentially owned by the criminal in the eyes of the new provider who has to respect the "privacy" of the owner of the new account until it can be proven that it was fraudulent. All the while buying the criminal the time needed to complete the crime. That's why this type of crime has become so prevalent as it exploits the very rules designed to prevent it.

[cellphoneuser1]

@darlicious @gpixel 

We don't know if nunber was ported out or someone took control of Public account. @Simoneabolarind said number needs to be ported back but also said Public account is active. It can't be active if number was ported out.

[gpixel]

@darlicious oh sorry, I thought they had access to their account and changed the sim that way

[darlicious]

@Simoneabolarind 

   Have you updated the moderators with your situation? Respond to the original private message you recieved from the moderators when you first submitted your service request. It does take sometime to go thru the proper channels to recreate your original account and get authorization to port your number back into public mobile. Despite it being fraudulent at the moment your phone number and the account its associated to looks like it's "owned" by someone else and there are certain procedures that have to be followed before the provider that its with currently will release it.

@gpixel  The OPs phone number has been fraudulently ported out (simjacked) which means their account does not exist for them to log in to.....porting closes accounts immeadiately.

[gpixel]

@Simoneabolarind login to your self serve account and you should be able to suspend the service yourself by using the lost/stolen mode

[Simoneabolarind]

Update on this situation:

My bank was informed and my passwords changed.  However Public Mobile, I need my number ported back!!.  Why is it taking this long for Public Mobile to do something.  Please suspend my number until you can port it back.

[darlicious]

@Simoneabolarind 

    I am very sorry this is happening to you and I'm sure you've had a very stressful day trying to safeguard your finances. Once you have regained a reasonable enough amount of control again you can review what else you can do to secure your current and future financial situation. Contact with the moderators can initiate the recovery of your phone number and account. Hopefully you have access to a working phone service to deal with rest of your compromised accounts.

1. Get access to a secure phone line even if it means activating a new sim with a temporary/new phone number with $15 or $25 plan (use a referral code for the $10 credit.)
2. Create a new email account. You may have to do this first in order to complete #1 task.
3. Work with your financial institutions fraud department for bank account security and recovery of any fraudulently stolen funds. Follow their advice on contacting/reporting this fraud to your local police department. Report this to the Canadian Anti-fraud Agency.
4. Remove verification thru phone and email on your financial institutions accounts and you may want to disable your online banking privileges temporarily and only bank in person with 2 pieces of ID required for service. Disable phone banking as well. Enable all additional security features that are offered on your accounts. Have verification done in person and/or mail only. Do not use the mail option if your mail delivery is not secure. (Canada Post superboxes are not secure!)
5. Call Equifax Canada and Transunion and put 7 year fraud alerts under your identity/SIN #. Use your new number or secure phone # (spouse, parent, adult child or your employment ph#) for this as you will be getting credit calls. If they cant talk to you no credit will be given so immediate access to this ph# is not necessary just that its secure and you can get messsages.
6. Contact all other credit card companies and inform them of your situation and put a hold on any cards that are not necessary. Add a verbal password for each card for all phone conversations with that credit card company.
7. Change all log in usernames and passwords to any linked or online accounts for your financial institution, credit cards and online accounts like PayPal, Amazon and loyalty programs like pc optimum or airmiles etc....
8. Review your online security and try to remove, review or change personal information you have left vulnerable or accessible to the general public especially on social media or popular online forums that you frequent. ie. Is your username for the community your actual name?
9. When you get your original phone number and pm account back change the email and password and slightly change the spelling of your name ir replace it altogether with a new name like : Dolly Parton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Maria Callas or Kurt Cobain and tell no one! (Except the moderators you deal with in the future as this will prevent a fraudulent port as long as your account log in remains secure.)
10. Never remain signed into any online account. Always take the extra steps to imput your username and password and employ any extra security features offered for your accounts.

I hope this is helpful and you have minimized any damage caused to your finances.  Our thoughts are with you and we want you to recover everything you have lost. Best of luck!

[popping]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

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@Naepalm wrote:

This is called SIM swap or SIM jacking. They port your numebr to another phone then use you sms verification to get into your accounts this is very serious. 

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That's a good point and certainly possible that the number was ported out. I was thinking of another possiblility that the other sim card could be a Public Mobile sim and that the account is still open but the member just switched the sim card to get free service temporarily.

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Agree.  OP said his phone was showing "Emergency call only".

[computergeek541]

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@Naepalm wrote:

This is called SIM swap or SIM jacking. They port your numebr to another phone then use you sms verification to get into your accounts this is very serious. 

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That's a good point and certainly possible that the number was ported out. I was thinking of another possiblility that the other sim card could be a Public Mobile sim and that the account is still open but the thief just switched the sim card to get free service temporarily.

[Naepalm]

@Simoneabolarind 

This is called SIM swap or SIM jacking. They port your numebr to another phone then use you sms verification to get into your accounts this is very serious. You need to contact all your accounts, email, bank, credit card anything you used sms verification for. 

Message moderators immediatley as well through SIMON say unauthorized account port. Chnage your passwords and remove sms verification from your account. 

So sorry this happened to you.

They can do this by having your account number, name, and or Ime# and name to port your number. 

Never share these always have strong passwords. Use LASTPASS to create strong passwords. 

Cheers

[computergeek541]

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@Simoneabolarind wrote:

All day today my phone kept saying "Emergency Calls Only".  My account is active and paid up.  I eventually realized that my number was re-directed to another SIM Card and used to authenticate illegal transactions online from my bank account.  How as someone able to do this?  I still have no phone service.  What do I do now?

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I would immediately change your Public Mobile password and secuirty quetsions and then report your phone as lost/stolen. That will immediately deactivate the service on the other sim card. Buy a new sim card and then reactivate your service using your new sim card.

[computergeek541]

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@gblackma wrote:

@Simoneabolarind  your phone isn't reading your SIM try  in order:

1. Restarting your phone. Turn your phone off, take the sim out, reinsert it, wait 5 minutes and restart.
2. Putting your phone on aeroplane mode for 5 minutes. Take it off and restart.
3. A network reset and restart your phone if it doesn't automatically. 

Stay safe 

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@Simoneabolarind  has already stated that the service is being provided to someone else who has switched the account to a different sim card and is using it. 

[geopublic]

@Simoneabolarind  Sounds like you have been SIMjacked. Google it you should call your bank, credit card company to lock your accounts/cards ASAP.

[gblackma]

@Simoneabolarind  your phone isn't reading your SIM try  in order:

1. Restarting your phone. Turn your phone off, take the sim out, reinsert it, wait 5 minutes and restart.
2. Putting your phone on aeroplane mode for 5 minutes. Take it off and restart.
3. A network reset and restart your phone if it doesn't automatically. 

Stay safe 

[gpixel]

@Simoneabolarind have you ever posted any personal info on this public forum before?

I would start off with calling your bank and cancelling your card, also call Equifax to have a stop order on any accounts being created

[yanzhiqiang]

Contact moderator immediately by clicking ? at bottom right. 

[RossN]

@Simoneabolarind hi it sounds like your account was hacked click on the? Bottom right hand corner Ask Simon to speak to a human this will help create a ticket to speak to a moderator mention account hacked      check the envelope top right corner for a reply response time is 2 to 48 hours I would advise you change all your passwords