I hear you, passwords are a total HASSLE. And what’s this PIN business on your mobile phone number, when there’s already a password – isn’t that enough?

No.

And I’m going to tell you why you need to make sure your mobile phone number is PROTECTED WITH A PIN CODE RIGHT NOW.

You want extra protection on your mobile number because it’s a gateway to hijacking other important accounts you own. Think bank accounts.

Port-out Scammers Take Control of Your Phone

It’s called a “port-out” scam because the scammer pretends to be you and has your mobile number “ported out” to another carrier or SIM card. This might not be as hard as you think, with all the personal information about us available, well everywhere.

Once in control of your phone number, the scammer ignores your mom’s phone calls, and gets busy resetting your passwords by intercepting two-factor authentication codes.

T-mobile Users Were Targeted

T-mobile users were targeted last month, and the company issued an alert and urged their customers to add a passcode to their account. You should do the same, no matter which data provider you use.

I just switched to Cricket Wireless from AT&T, and the passcode wasn’t required by default. It’s super important to add this extra layer of security to your mobile number.

Good to Know

• Use a password manager to keep track of all your passwords and codes!
• Protect your physical phone with a passcode or fingerprint.
• Enable find my iphone and learn how to put it in lost mode or wipe it remotely.