Anti-Scam FAQ: What Is A Phone Porting Scam

Answer:

The scam called “porting” involves criminals stealing your phone number and your phone service in order to get access to your bank account through confirmation text messages.
 
Scammers start by collecting your name, phone number and then gather any other information they can find about you such as your address, Social Security number, and date of birth. Then they contact your mobile carrier and state that your phone has been stolen and ask that the number be “ported” with another provider and device. Once your number has been ported to a new device, scammers can then start accessing your accounts that require additional authorization such as code texted to your phone.