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Cell Phone Phishing

HR Cougar Corner

Other college campuses have reported receiving phishing emails, specifically seeking cell phone numbers. This is a change in tactic from the usual attempt of obtaining accounts and passwords.

The Risk to You
Attackers could now attempt to steal your phone number and attack and ransom your digital assets directly, including your bank accounts, online photos, online data or online service accounts.

How Would I know if an Attacker has Stolen My Phone Number?
If your phone receives no signal or says “Emergency calls only” even after restarting the phone, use another phone to contact your provider immediately and have them check the status of your account for any recent changes.

How to Protect Yourself Don’t fall prey to phishing, vishing, or SMSishing. Always review the details of an email or text to determine if it is legitimate.Do not post your phone number on social media.Minimize the use of your phone number for multi-factor authentication, instead try to use authenticator apps like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator.If possible, keep an offline backup of important digital assets.Protect your phone number from being stolen! Contact your service provider to implement a PIN or require an in-person phone number change.