MTN Sim Swap scam

cavedog

cavedog

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Just wanted to give people a heads up on a sim swap scam.

The scam involves using the MTN Pay4Me service and it's dissapointing that MTN allows this.


The scammer requests 3 x Pay4Me call requests. If you accept them they go to voicemail and you just drop the call. You think nothing of them.

Later you get an SMS about a sim swap that has been requested on your number.

Screenshot 2022-01-31 163609.png


MTN allows for a Sim Swap self service to allow customers to do sim swaps without having to call the call centre and they "secure" this by asking the person that is requesting the sim swap what are the last 3 numbers you have called from your simcard. Well they have that info now due to the MTN Pay4Me service they abused and made sure those numbers go to voice mail to register it as a call to that number.

The SMS allows you to reply Yes to process the sim swap now or No to cancel. Should you not respond in 4 hours the sim swap is automatically approved as not all customers have access to the old simcard to approve this request.
 
backstreetboy said:
Why would you accept the call requests in the first place?
Click to expand...

Do you reject every number that calls you that you don't know?

Maybe it's a colleague or a friend with a new number. There is various reasons. I actually wanted to know who is calling me didn't expect it to be a loophole to request a sim swap on my behalf.
 
cavedog said:
Just wanted to give people a heads up on a sim swap scam.

The scam involves using the MTN Pay4Me service and it's dissapointing that MTN allows this.


The scammer requests 3 x Pay4Me call requests. If you accept them they go to voicemail and you just drop the call. You think nothing of them.

Later you get an SMS about a sim swap that has been requested on your number.

View attachment 1235810


MTN allows for a Sim Swap self service to allow customers to do sim swaps without having to call the call centre and they "secure" this by asking the person that is requesting the sim swap what are the last 3 numbers you have called from your simcard. Well they have that info now due to the MTN Pay4Me service they abused and made sure those numbers go to voice mail to register it as a call to that number.

The SMS allows you to reply Yes to process the sim swap now or No to cancel. Should you not respond in 4 hours the sim swap is automatically approved as not all customers have access to the old simcard to approve this request.
Click to expand...
I will fwd this on. I know the fraud guys there
 
cavedog said:
Do you reject every number that calls you that you don't know?

Maybe it's a colleague or a friend with a new number. There is various reasons. I actually wanted to know who is calling me didn't expect it to be a loophole to request a sim swap on my behalf.
Click to expand...
Yes because they're all spam.
 
Enzo Matrix said:
I will fwd this on. I know the fraud guys there
Click to expand...

The ideal solution would be for Pay4Me requests not to be allowed to count to the last dialed numbers to initiate the sim swap or for a number to be able to completely opt out of the Pay4Me service and not receive any SMS or calls from people.
 
The problem is auto allowance of simswap without direct authorization

Something they are well aware of and we have literally walked up to their desks and said
 
Enzo Matrix said:
The problem is auto allowance of simswap without direct authorization

Something they are well aware of and we have literally walked up to their desks and said
Click to expand...

That is definitely and issue also but if you did lose your phone and legitimately want yo do a sim swap you won't be able to approve on the old sim so I get why they have the auto approve.
 
MTN has this facility whereby if there is a sim swap on your number, you have an option to approve this via email or another number.
You need to call them to set this up for you.
 
cavedog said:
That is definitely and issue also but if you did lose your phone and legitimately want yo do a sim swap you won't be able to approve on the old sim so I get why they have the auto approve.
Click to expand...
They need to authenticate. If you lose your phone. Tough. Goto a store and re submit rica docs
 
Mr Smooth said:
MTN has this facility whereby if there is a sim swap on your number, you have an option to approve this via email or another number.
You need to call them to set this up for you.
Click to expand...

This used to be called MTN Secure. Does it still exist? I set it up years ago, but I can’t find anything recent on it and I suspect it might no longer exist.
 
Thanks for the heads-up.

On the topic of MTN Simcards, does anyone know if there's a way to retrieve a prepaid number that has 'expired'?

My phone broke and the sim in there was de-activated due to non-activity (no recharges or calls made).

This happens to be the number I've been using for the last 10 years. I was active on WhatsApp only and didn't use it for calls (due to all the spam).

As far as I know, the number hasn't been recycled yet.
 
Mr Smooth said:
MTN has this facility whereby if there is a sim swap on your number, you have an option to approve this via email or another number.
You need to call them to set this up for you.
Click to expand...

MTN secure

I saw Mtn launch MTN secure, so the number you Enter Is the number that will receive, the Sms for sim swapping. Dail; *141*0#, Enter 5 for Account, Enter 6 for Mtn Secure Enter 1 For Number And Finally Enter the number you which you would like to Receive the Sms for an Sim Swap.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
I don't get how this works, so they call you, you pay and this it counts as a outgoing call, but there is no voice prompt message asking you to press 0 or 1?

If it's a colleague or a friend with a new number and you decline the voice prompt (if there is one), is the number on your billing?
 
supersunbird said:
I don't get how this works, so they call you, you pay and this it counts as a outgoing call, but there is no voice prompt message asking you to press 0 or 1?

If it's a colleague or a friend with a new number and you decline the voice prompt (if there is one), is the number on your billing?
Click to expand...
I’m guessing you don’t see the originating number so you think nothing of it in essence.
 
3WA said:
This used to be called MTN Secure. Does it still exist? I set it up years ago, but I can’t find anything recent on it and I suspect it might no longer exist.
Click to expand...

MTN secure

I saw Mtn launch MTN secure, so the number you Enter Is the number that will receive, the Sms for sim swapping. Dail; *141*0#, Enter 5 for Account, Enter 6 for Mtn Secure Enter 1 For Number And Finally Enter the number you which you would like to Receive the Sms for an Sim Swap.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
Thx @susefan
 
This is currently happening to me. Got spammed with calls, first on whatsapp and now just regular calls for the last few days. Today I get an SMS requesting an approval for a sim swop. I don't get it though, I'm on prepaid and have like R20 airtime
 
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