Here is how your Vodacom number can be stolen for almost a week (And there is nothing you can do about it)

maumau said:
Wendy Knowler did a programme on 702 a few weeks back, I happened to hear it because I was driving around. From her research most of the SMS or text messages are sent during the night so the likelihood of missing the message is high.

One woman did hear the message and immediately asked them NOT to do the SIM swap but still it went through.
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So it is a well-orchestrated process? I guess the timing is intentional.
 
Dups! said:
Why would they even send one sms to inform you instead of maybe three at maybe 5 hour interval and give you at least 24 hours?
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This would be a better option. At least give the user a warning of about 24 to 72 hours if the number is already registered.
 
emabotha said:
Here is how your Vodacom number can be stolen for almost a week (And there is nothing you can do about it).

Yesterday evening, April 10th, 2024, my mother's phone abruptly lost network connectivity around 8 PM. It wasn't until then that she realized she had received an SMS earlier indicating a SIM swap had been performed on her device. This came as a shock since she hadn't initiated any such action and still had her phone in her possession. How could this have happened?

She contacted me, asking me to assist. First, I called the bank to safeguard her financial accounts. Then, I reached out to Vodacom to investigate how her number was compromised. However, my initial call to Vodacom was met with frustrating news – they claimed they couldn't intervene as the number had already been deleted from their system. It appeared someone not only performed a SIM swap but also ported the number to another provider, indicating a deliberate attempt to seize control.

Later that evening, when attempting to call the number, I was redirected to MTN's voicemail, confirming that the number had indeed been ported.

Upon contacting MTN, I was informed they couldn't assist, as the issue pertained to a prepaid account and suggested Vodacom handle the matter. Unfortunately, it was already midnight, rendering both Vodacom and MTN unable to provide immediate assistance.

The following morning, April 11th, 2024, at 8:05 AM, I contacted Vodacom's porting division. After explaining the situation, I was informed there was a system issue, and reversing the porting process would take three working days, meaning the number wouldn't be restored until Monday the 15th. Additionally, we'd need to undergo a SIM swap to reclaim the number, likely extending the process to Tuesday.

Attempting to call the number, I was surprised when someone answered – a stranger now possessed the number.

What's most frustrating is the lack of clarity from Vodacom. Despite numerous calls, no satisfactory explanation was provided. One consultant mentioned the possibility of people exploiting the self-service system, TOBi, to perform SIM swaps with minimal authentication.


Is it that easy to take over a number?


This situation has been especially tough for my mother, who's now stuck dealing with both Vodacom and MTN, making an already worrying situation even more stressful for her.
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Tell your mother to support Telkom.
 
MTN as well

MTN Fraudulent SIM Swap

I was recently a victim of a fraudulent sim swap on my MTN number that I have had for nearly 20 years. The concerning thing is that I received no notification that a SIM swap was in progress. No SMS confirming that it was happening. Earlier in the day I had a persistent caller who phoned 4...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
Bundu said:
MTN as well

MTN Fraudulent SIM Swap

I was recently a victim of a fraudulent sim swap on my MTN number that I have had for nearly 20 years. The concerning thing is that I received no notification that a SIM swap was in progress. No SMS confirming that it was happening. Earlier in the day I had a persistent caller who phoned 4...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
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This is shocking.
 
Bliksis said:
The store is there to sell you stuff. Anyone who thinks they are there to help you, needs to realize they are wrong.
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This is true. I had a technical issue with my MTN wi-fi router, and gave up trying to get a human on the phone. So I went to the MTN shop at the local mall, and that wasn't much better. The guy tried to help, but eventually told me that "everyone here is in sales". So, I cancelled the package and returned the router. He didn't like that, but I pointed out that I can't get it to work correctly, and I can't find anyone to help!
 
emabotha said:
So it is a well-orchestrated process? I guess the timing is intentional.
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From this thread https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/mtn-fraudulent-sim-swap.1272739/
Tana24 said:
The same thing happened to my mother, twice! After the first one it took almost 3 weeks to get the number back. They put her on a 'watchlist' in October and then in January she was swapped again. No SMS or call just a pop up the next day saying something like "y'ello share your new number with your family and friends". I don't know what the solution is. I'd like her to open a contract with a different network but I am not sure that will be any better. The consumer journalist Wendy Knowler was talking about sim swap fraud on 702 today
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Good thing we are all pushed so hard for 2FA

Just 1 call to Vodacom or MTN and all your accounts are compromised
 
The biggest loophole is the fact that you can port right after a sim swap.

Networks need to place a 2 to 3 day hold on porting after a sim swap has been actioned because to get the number back takes time.

1. The port needs to be reversed and then it gets reversed to the simcard the frauster has.
2. A sim swap needs to be done again to get the number back and a sim swap mandatory waiting time needs to take place.
 
MTN wow. Should I even comment.

Fraud is heavy on their network, and I speak from personal experience in dealing with them

Thus I will never use MTN as a Service Provider......EVER AGAIN
 
Acinixys said:
Good thing we are all pushed so hard for 2FA

Just 1 call to Vodacom or MTN and all your accounts are compromised
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They should drop sms as 2FA and start using app-based authentication.
 
Same happened to me, what they don't tell you is that you can get them to put a restriction on forcing you to go to a Vodacom branch to do a sim swap. This unfortunately does not happen buy default, best advice I can give is to have a separate sim dedicated to banking alone ( preferably not with Vodacom)
 
Telkom no longer do Sms porting. They do it in store now since you need to provide fingerprint scanning and stuff. It's a pain finding a store but for it's best for security
 
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