🎯 In 30 seconds: Your phone number is a key to your bank, because texted codes go to it. Lock the number at your carrier, move important logins off text codes, keep the phone updated, and know the four steps to take in the first hour after a phone goes missing.
SIM swaps and port-outs, in plain words
The FCC defines them this way. In a SIM swap, a criminal convinces your carrier to move your service to a phone the criminal holds. In port-out fraud, the criminal opens an account at a different carrier in your name and has your number transferred there. Either way your phone loses service and the thief starts receiving your calls and texts, including login codes.
In November 2023 the FCC adopted rules requiring wireless carriers to use secure ways to confirm it is really you before moving your number to a new device or carrier, and to notify you right away when a SIM change or port-out is requested.
The carrier locks to turn on
| Carrier | Feature names (late 2026) | Where |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | Wireless Account Lock | myAT&T app, security settings |
| Verizon | SIM Protection and Number Lock | My Verizon app, security settings |
| T-Mobile | SIM Protection, plus port-out protection | T-Mobile app or account privacy settings |
| Any carrier | An account PIN or passcode different from your phone unlock | Ask in the app or by phone |
Carriers rename menus often. If you can’t find it, call and ask for “SIM change and port-out protection on my account.”
Signs of a SIM swap in progress
- Your phone suddenly shows “No service” or “SOS only” where it normally works.
- A text or email from the carrier about a SIM change or port you didn’t ask for.
- Password reset emails you didn’t request.
Act at once: from another phone, call your carrier, then your bank. The full recovery steps are on the Money Theft & Forensics page.
Everyday phone habits
- Updates on automatic. Most fixes are for security holes already being used.
- Six-digit or longer passcode. Not a pattern someone can see over your shoulder.
- App permissions. Review once a season: a flashlight app has no need for contacts, location or microphone. Remove apps you no longer use.
- Install apps only from the official store, never from a link in a text.
- Theft protections. iPhone has Stolen Device Protection; Android has theft protection settings. Both make it harder for a thief who saw your passcode to change your accounts.
A worked example: the first hour after a phone is stolen
| Minute 0–10 | From a laptop or a friend’s phone, open Find My (iPhone) or Find Hub (Android, formerly Find My Device). Mark it lost, lock it, and see where it is. Don’t go after it yourself. |
| Minute 10–20 | Call your carrier to suspend the line, so the number can’t receive your codes. |
| Minute 20–40 | Change your email password and your Apple or Google account password; sign the lost phone out of both. Then banking and payment apps. |
| Minute 40–60 | Ask your card issuers to remove the phone from mobile wallets. File a police report if insurance or your carrier needs one. |
| Later | If it is not coming back, erase it remotely. Erasing usually ends your ability to locate it, so do it last. |