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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- T-Mobile is making some important changes to its SIM change process to make SIM swap scams much harder.
- A new Account Change Engine determines the legitimacy of SIM change requests.
- Customers now also need to confirm a SIM change instead of denying the SIM change under the previous system.
SIM swap scams are on the rise, and they bank on a mix of social engineering and luck to get complete control over a consumer’s number. After that, they can easily access two-factor authentication for bank accounts and other financial instruments. However, SIM swaps can also be legitimate requests from a customer, so finding a good balance of security and convenience is essential. T-Mobile is now changing its processes to help better protect its customers against fraudulent SIM swaps while still keeping it easy for legitimate requests.
Currently, T-Mobile requires customers who need to legitimately move their number to a different physical SIM or eSIM to contact a support representative and request a SIM change. As expected, this is quite inconvenient for users, especially if they change phones frequently, as phone migrations could need a new eSIM. T-Mobile had a self-service method for online accounts, but it was disabled in 2022 for security upgrades and never returned.
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