What are the red flags of this scam?

Your phone suddenly loses all service — no signal, no texts, no calls — in a location where you normally have coverage • Your bank or myGov sends login alerts for a device or location you don't recognise • Your telco sends a SIM swap or port-out confirmation for a request you never made • SMS verification codes for banking, email, or myGov stop arriving • Scammers may call your telco using your name, account number (from a data breach), and answers to knowledge-based security questions

What should I do if this happened to me?

If your phone loses service unexpectedly, call your telco immediately from a different phone to check for any SIM swap or port-out activity • Ask your telco to add an extra security PIN or require in-store identity verification before any SIM change can be made — Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone all offer this • Contact your bank immediately if you suspect your mobile number has been hijacked — ask them to freeze your accounts and block SMS-verified logins • Switch from SMS-based two-factor authentication to an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator) where your bank allows it — these don't rely on your phone number • If your identity has been compromised, call IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free expert help • Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

CRITICAL banking Last reported: 4 Oct 2026 Share

Scammers steal your phone number via a fake SIM swap and drain your bank accounts

Q: Is this a scam?

Yes. This is a documented scam pattern. Scammers contact your telco posing as you and transfer your mobile number to a SIM they control. With your number they receive SMS verification codes, reset banking apps and myGov passwords, then drain accounts. Australians lost $16.5 million to account takeover scams in the first 8 months of 2026 — a 32% rise on all of 2025.

Scammers contact your telco posing as you and transfer your mobile number to a SIM they control. With your number they receive SMS verification codes, reset banking apps and myGov passwords, then drain accounts. Australians lost $16.5 million to account takeover scams in the first 8 months of 2026 — a 32% rise on all of 2025.

Also known as: SIM swap fraud Australia, SIM hijacking AU, phone number port-out scam, number porting fraud, mobile account takeover

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

1 Call your bank or card's fraud line right now. Use the number on the back of your card — not any number from the message or caller. Ask them to stop or reverse the payment and freeze the account.
2 If you paid by gift card, wire, or an app (Zelle, Venmo, Cash App): contact that company immediately and report it as fraud. Acting fast sometimes recovers the money.
3 Report to the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. The sooner, the better.

What to do right now

1 If your phone loses service unexpectedly, call your telco immediately from a different phone to check for any SIM swap or port-out activity
2 Ask your telco to add an extra security PIN or require in-store identity verification before any SIM change can be made — Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone all offer this
3 Contact your bank immediately if you suspect your mobile number has been hijacked — ask them to freeze your accounts and block SMS-verified logins
4 Switch from SMS-based two-factor authentication to an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator) where your bank allows it — these don't rely on your phone number
5 If your identity has been compromised, call IDCARE on 1800 595 160 for free expert help
6 Report to Scamwatch at https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam or ReportCyber at https://www.cyber.gov.au/report.

Red flags

⚠ Your phone suddenly loses all service — no signal, no texts, no calls — in a location where you normally have coverage
⚠ Your bank or myGov sends login alerts for a device or location you don't recognise
⚠ Your telco sends a SIM swap or port-out confirmation for a request you never made
⚠ SMS verification codes for banking, email, or myGov stop arriving
⚠ Scammers may call your telco using your name, account number (from a data breach), and answers to knowledge-based security questions

Already happened to you? Do this in the next few minutes

What to do right now

Red flags

Sources