For example, if your mobile number is stolen, they could send you a false SMS impersonating a company. In that message, they could put a link that takes you to a fraudulent page and steal your passwords. They could also sign you up for certain paid services, send malvertising, etc.
Prevent your mobile number from being stolen
What can you do to prevent an attacker from knowing your phone number and using it against you? We are going to explain some essential tips that you should put into practice. The goal is to always keep privacy protected and avoid security issues. It’s going to be easy, as long as you don’t make mistakes.
Do not expose your mobile number
The first thing you should do is avoid exposing your mobile number In Internet. This happens, for example, when you post it on social networks and it is available to anyone, when you write in an open forum and you can post it inadvertently, or on any other platform that a third party may have access to.
In all these cases, you must prevent the phone number from appearing on the Internet. It does not matter if it is a reliable platform or you think that only your friends can see it; there could be a leak or an attacker could even steal the account of one of your contacts and end up accessing that information
Be careful where you register
Of course you should also look very well where you register In Internet. You should avoid platforms that could be a danger, that do not inspire confidence. If you don’t really know who could be behind it, you better not put your data there, as is the case of putting the mobile phone number and having problems in the future.
Sometimes, when you register on a page or use an application, they will ask you for a lot of information. This includes the phone number. The less you expose it, the better. If it is a platform that is not entirely reliable, avoid putting your number.
Do not interact with strange SMS
One method that cybercriminals use to find out who owns a phone number is to launch a bait via SMS. They may ask you for certain information, that you respond with some information, that you enter through a link that they send you… In this way, they could confirm that that number belongs to you.
From there, once they have linked a mobile number to a person, they will be able to launch a more personalized Phishing attack, for example. They can use it to steal your passwords and compromise your security on the network.
Limit app permissions
The programs you install on mobile, they could be a problem for your privacy and security. Hackers could create software just to collect data. They do this through the permissions that you grant when you install them, since you could be leaving certain information on a tray.
What you need to do is limit the permissions you grant. Especially, if it is not a trusted application, you should avoid giving permission for it to access information that could be compromised.
In short, as you can see they can try to steal your mobile number on the Internet. It is important that you take certain measures to avoid falling into the trap and protect yourself at all times. Reduce risk whenever possible. It is good to know what information you expose when browsing the Internet, in order to limit what you are sharing.
