SIM swap: my phone suddenly has no service, what do I do?

SIM swap: my phone suddenly has no service, what do I do?

Your phone has worked fine all day and suddenly shows "No Service" or "SOS only." You restart it, and nothing changes. Meanwhile, emails arrive about password changes or new logins. If this sounds familiar, you could be the victim of a SIM swap or port-out fraud: someone has convinced your carrier to move your phone number to a SIM or a carrier they control. With your number, they receive your text codes and can get into your bank, email, and other accounts. Act quickly.

How does a SIM swap work?

1. They gather your data. Name, address, date of birth, and sometimes the last digits of your Social Security number, usually from data breaches, phishing, or social media.
2. They impersonate you with your carrier. They call customer service, use your online account, or go to a store with a fake ID, and ask for a new SIM or eSIM for your number ("I lost my phone"). In port-out fraud, they transfer your number to a different carrier.
3. Your phone loses service, because your number is now active on their device.
4. They receive your codes. Any one-time code sent by text goes to them. They reset passwords for your email, bank, payment apps, and crypto accounts.
5. They move money or use your accounts to scam your contacts.

What are the warning signs?

• Your phone suddenly has no service in a place where it normally works, and restarting doesn't help.
• Your carrier notifies you of a SIM change, eSIM activation, or port-out request that you didn't make.
• You get emails about password changes or logins from new devices.
• Contacts tell you they're getting strange messages from your number.
• You can't log in to accounts that use text verification.

What do I do right now?

The first hour matters most:

1. Contact your carrier from another phone or through its official website on Wi-Fi. Use the number on your bill or the carrier's official site. Say you suspect a fraudulent SIM swap or port-out and ask them to restore your number and lock your account.
2. Call your bank and card issuers using the numbers on your cards. Ask them to freeze transfers and watch for suspicious activity.
3. Change your email password first from a safe device: it's the master key to resetting everything else. Then change your banking, payment app, and social media passwords.
4. Log out of all other sessions in your important accounts.
5. Warn your contacts through another channel that your number may be used to scam them.

What if money has already been taken?

1. Report unauthorized transactions to your bank or card issuer immediately and in writing if they ask.
2. Document everything: the time you lost service, carrier confirmation numbers, the transactions, and the emails you received.
3. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and to your local police.
4. Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov, which gives you a personalized recovery plan, and consider a credit freeze with the three credit bureaus.
5. File a complaint with your carrier, and if it doesn't help, you can complain to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates carriers. USAGov's FCC page shows how to reach it.

How do I stop it happening again?

• Set a PIN or passcode on your carrier account, different from your phone's unlock code.
• Turn on your carrier's SIM or number lock if it offers one. Major US carriers have features that block SIM changes or port-outs until you turn them off.
• Use an authenticator app or a passkey instead of text codes for your email and bank, as CISA recommends in its guide to turning on multifactor authentication.
• Limit personal details on social media: birthday, address, phone number.
• Be wary of calls or texts asking for your carrier PIN or account information.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know whether it's a SIM swap or just a network problem? Check with someone else on the same carrier nearby, or the carrier's outage page. If only your phone has lost service and you're also getting password-change alerts, assume it's fraud and call your carrier.

Can they do it with an eSIM? Yes. The fraud is the same: what moves is your number, whether to a physical SIM or an eSIM.

My carrier made the change without verifying properly. Who's responsible? Raise it with your carrier in writing, and if you're not satisfied, file a complaint with the FCC. Keep all records.

In short

If your phone suddenly has no service and password alerts start arriving, assume it's a SIM swap: call your carrier from another phone, call your bank, and change your email password first. Then lock your carrier account with a PIN and move away from text codes. And if strange numbers contacted you before it happened, report them in the NoCall spam numbers directory.