Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google Fi has applied a Quantity Lock characteristic to battle unlawful SIM swaps.
- This characteristic blocks your quantity from being transferred to a different cellphone or to a brand new community.
The FCC introduced new guidelines to guard customers towards unlawful SIM swaps final yr. Main US carriers have already adopted SIM safety options in step with these guidelines, and it’s now Google Fi‘s flip to supply this performance.
Google Fi quietly introduced a Quantity Lock characteristic (h/t: 9to5Google) to guard customers towards unlawful SIM swaps. Enabling this characteristic means that you would be able to’t switch your cellphone quantity to a different cellphone or port your quantity to a brand new community.
To allow Quantity Lock, you’ll have to signal into your Google Fi account, faucet Privateness and safety > Sign up to handle Quantity lock. You’ll then have to signal into your account once more and toggle the Quantity Lock change. We’d undoubtedly advise you to allow this as quickly as attainable.
Quantity Lock: A helpful resolution to SIM swap fraud
Unlawful SIM swaps see cyber-criminals posing as you to steal your cellphone quantity by transferring it to a SIM they management. This lets criminals entry your two-factor codes in the event that they’re nonetheless despatched through textual content message, leaving the door open on your banking accounts and different delicate companies to be compromised.
Many companies have moved away from text-based two-factor authentication in favor of e-mail, authenticator apps, and different, safer options. However unlawful SIM swaps are nonetheless a nightmare to take care of as a result of inconvenience alone, so we’re glad to see Google implement Quantity Lock performance.
The transfer additionally comes after Verizon launched its personal Quantity Lock performance to guard towards SIM swaps. In the meantime, T-Cellular launched a so-called Account Change Engine again in April, which is used to find out the legitimacy of SIM change requests.
