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SIM Swap Attack Prevention — How to Protect Your Phone Number
SIM swap attacks transfer your phone number to a criminal's SIM card, giving them access to your two-factor authentication codes. These attacks are enabled by personal information — including your address and relatives — that is available through data broker profiles.
This guide explains the SIM swap attack chain and the data broker removal steps that break it.
How Data Broker Profiles Enable SIM Swaps
A successful SIM swap starts with social engineering: the attacker calls your carrier pretending to be you and answers security questions using your name, address, date of birth, and last four of your SSN — all of which may be available through data broker sites.
With your phone number, attackers can reset passwords on accounts that use SMS 2FA — including email, banking, and cryptocurrency accounts.
Remove Broker Data + Carrier-Level Protection
Removing your address, date of birth, and relatives from broker profiles reduces the social engineering success rate. Additionally: contact your carrier to add a PIN or passcode requirement for SIM changes, and switch from SMS 2FA to authenticator apps for critical accounts.
CypherAvoid's free scan shows your current broker exposure; Lifetime Protection pursues removal of the key data fields used in SIM swap attacks.
Run Exposure Scan
Start with a free scan — no account required. Pricing only appears if you choose Lifetime Protection.