#Straight talk service pin not working update#
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#Straight talk service pin not working password#

'For example, when a request to transfer a number is made, we will send a text-message notification to your device to alert you to the request. 'Since uncovering this fraudulent activity, we have made enhancements to improve the security of your mobile account,' says the TracFone security notice. If there's a silver lining in this potentially horrible situation, it's that the incidents have forced Verizon to quickly beef up the security of TracFone's number-transfer procedure. It's not clear if there were any 'SIM swap' incidents, in which a cellular number is transferred to a new SIM card on the same carrier.ДЄ spokeswoman for that company told The Verge that 'there is no fraud or data breach of any sort on the T-Mobile side of these port-outs.' Many of the stolen TracFone numbers appear to have been transferred to Metro, a rival low-cost prepaid cellular service operated by T-Mobile. We don't know whether either of those scenarios happened in this case, and the Verizon spokeswoman told the Journal that 'we have no reason to think that this was caused by anybody on the inside.'Д«ut, TracFone may not have been as diligent as it could have been when it received a number-transfer request. In some instances, carrier personnel have been bribed to transfer numbers, especially when the number belongs to a person who has a lot of money in the bank or in online cryptocurrency accounts.

Number port-out scams are often carried out by calling customer-service representatives at wireless carriers and convincing or tricking them into transferring phone numbers to other devices. TracFone's posting didn't mention how the crooks were able to take over 6,000 accounts, and that number actually comes from what a Verizon spokeswoman told the Journal. That's not the carriers' fault, but it is the reality. But online services often regard cellphone numbers as fixed points of personal identity when they shouldn't be seen that way at all. Be prepared to jump through hoops to verify your identity.Д¬ellphone numbers are meant to be temporary and transferable, and wireless carriers treat them as such. You'll have to contact the online service via telephone or email and explain what happened.

#Straight talk service pin not working password#

Of course, if the crooks have already changed the password on an account, then you won't be able to change it yourself. If crooks have the phone numbers, then they can change the passwords on many of the number holders' online accounts. Many implementations of two-factor authentication use similar texted codes to confirm the identity of a person logging into an account from a new device or location.ДЄll such account-verification processes are jeopardized by port-out scams.

#Straight talk service pin not working code#

This is because many online services, including some banks, social networks, cryptocurrency exchanges and email providers, will confirm account-password changes only after the legitimate user supplies a temporary code that has been texted to them. If you've been directly contacted about this issue by Net10 Wireless, Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, Total Wireless, TracFone or Walmart Family Mobile - or your service on one of those carriers suddenly no longer works - then you need to change the passwords on any online accounts you have that may use your cellphone number as a way to verify your identity. That's because cellphone numbers are unfortunately now used as a means of verifying your identity.

Unfortunately, for those customers whose numbers have indeed been stolen, the situation may get a lot worse. 'If you experience a sudden loss of service, or are having difficulty with a number transfer,' TracFone said, 'please contact customer service at 1-80.' What you need to do if you know or suspect your TracFone number has been stolen In other words, some customers might not even be told their accounts have been stolen because they won't be able to sent or receive text messages or phone calls. TracFone's security alert said it had tried to contact all affected customers, 'but given the nature of this activity, messages to impacted mobile telephone numbers may no longer be accessible by some customers.' Links to do so via a web browser are embedded in the TracFone security alert page. You should immediately change your carrier-account PIN and, if possible, the account's secret question and answer. If you have an account with any of the six brands mentioned above, this is a potentially bad situation. What you need to do if you're a TracFone customer

#Straight talk service pin not working update#

Tom's Guide has reached out to Verizon for comment, and we will update this story when we receive a reply.

TracFone's message, however, only hints at the fact that losing a cellphone number to thieves can lead to a nightmarish spiral of account thefts and monetary loss.