Your SIM was swapped
If your phone suddenly loses signal and you can't make calls or texts, your number may have been ported to a scammer's SIM (a SIM swap). They can then intercept OTPs and reset your accounts. Contact your carrier urgently, then secure your bank and email with app-based two-step verification, not SMS.
Quick answer
If your phone suddenly loses signal and you can't make calls or texts, your number may have been ported to a scammer's SIM (a SIM swap). They can then intercept OTPs and reset your accounts. Contact your carrier urgently, then secure your bank and email with app-based two-step verification, not SMS.
- Confirm the loss of signal isn't a network outage.
- Call your carrier from another phone to report a possible SIM swap.
- Check email/banking for password-reset or login alerts.
Do this now
- Contact your mobile carrier urgently to report the swap and reclaim your number.
- From another device, secure your email and banking with app-based 2FA.
- Tell your bank your number may be compromised.
Understanding what happened
A SIM swap means your phone number was moved to a scammer's SIM, usually so they can intercept the codes that protect your bank and email. The sudden loss of signal is the warning sign, and contacting your carrier urgently to reclaim the number is the first move.
Attackers arrange swaps using personal details gathered from breaches or phishing, sometimes with insider help, then use your incoming texts to reset accounts. The danger isn't the phone - it's that your number is a key to everything secured by SMS codes.
Once your number is back, the job is twofold: lock the number with a carrier PIN so it can't be ported again, and move your important accounts off SMS codes onto an authenticator app. Reset passwords for anything that may have been reached while they held the number.
Treat banking and email as the priority for review, since those are the usual targets, and keep your carrier case reference. SIM-swap recovery is very achievable, but it's also a strong prompt to upgrade how you do two-step verification everywhere.
First 5 minutes
- Confirm the loss of signal isn't a network outage.
- Call your carrier from another phone to report a possible SIM swap.
- Check email/banking for password-reset or login alerts.
First 24 hours
- Reclaim your number and add a port-out/SIM PIN with your carrier.
- Reset passwords for accounts secured by SMS codes.
- Switch 2FA from SMS to an authenticator app where possible.
Next 7 days
- Review accounts that used SMS verification for unauthorised changes.
- Watch bank and email activity closely.
- Keep your carrier case reference.
What not to do
- Do not rely on SMS codes for security after a swap.
- Do not share new codes with anyone who calls about it.
- Do not ignore sudden loss of signal - act on it quickly.
Evidence to save
- The time your signal dropped and any alerts received.
- Carrier case/reference numbers.
- Any unauthorised account changes.
How to report
- Gather your evidence first (screenshots, dates, amounts, any reference numbers).
- Report to your national fraud/cybercrime body and, if money moved, to your bank.
- Find the right official links for your country in the reporting directory.
Find official reporting links for your country in the reporting directory.
- Do not use phone numbers or links from the suspicious message - look up the official ones yourself.
- Report quickly if money was sent or ID documents were shared; speed improves your options.
- Keep your evidence - see how to save scam evidence.
Beware 'recovery' offers afterwards: anyone who contacts you promising to get your money back for an upfront fee is running a second scam.
Stop it happening again
Add a port-out or SIM PIN with your carrier so your number can't be moved without it, and prefer an authenticator app over SMS for two-step verification.
Reduce the personal details exposed publicly that scammers use to pass carrier identity checks.
Related scam types
Related red flags
Related terms
This is general safety information, not legal, financial, or cybersecurity incident-response advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prevent another swap?
Add a port-out/SIM PIN with your carrier and use an authenticator app rather than SMS for two-step verification.
Why is SIM swap dangerous?
Your number receives OTPs. With it, attackers can reset and take over bank, email, and social accounts.
How did they swap my SIM?
Usually by convincing your carrier they're you, using personal details from breaches or phishing. A SIM/port-out PIN and app-based 2FA are the best defences.