It was reported on 13th May that experts had raised their concerns about SIM swapping fraud, after the number of recorded scams surged tenfold in a year.
It was noted that, “there was a 1,055% increase in unauthorised phone SIM swaps in the UK in 2024 – a practice which not only leads to people having their money stolen but also their identity”.
It was further reported that SIM swapping was believed to have played a role in the cyberattack on Marks & Spencer and the Co-op recently. It was also stated that SIM swapping is when a “fraudster transfers a customer’s phone number to a SIM card in their possession, thereby gaining control of that mobile phone”.
Warning from Which?
The consumer organisation Which? have warned that email accounts which are unsecured are being targeted by Sim-swap scammers. Indeed, so worrying is the escalation in cases, that Which? feels that mobile networks should be doing more to protect customers.
If you are not sure what Sim swapping is, it is when criminals hijack your mobile number. This allows them to intercept text messages from your bank by hacking into online accounts. Which? state that at the beginning of 2025, they published exclusive data showing that reports of Sim-swap scams to Action Fraud had doubled year-on-year.
Which goes on to note that, “New figures from fraud prevention service Cifas found that its members – including mobile networks and other telecom providers – reported an astonishing 1,055% increase in cases of unauthorised Sim swaps, up from 289 in 2023 to almost 3,000 in 2024. It’s believed that Sim swapping was one of the tactics used by the recent Co-op and M&S cyberattackers”.
What is the problem?
It would appear that weak email security has been the key opening the door to fraudsters, but Which? also spoke to a number of victims who felt that their mobile network providers let them down.
How to avoid Sim-swap fraud
Which? have helpfully provided the following 5 steps to prevent Sim-swap fraud:
Secure your mobile account- Ask your network provider about any additional security, for example, you may be able to set up a unique Pin or password, which must be provided to approve any account changes in store or via the phone.
Turn on 2FA Email, social media and other online accounts can be secured with multi or two-factor authentication – check this website here for a list. Avoid SMS-based checks if you can (although they’re still better than no 2FA at all). We prefer passkeys (supported by Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung) as they’re tied to a physical device rather than your phone number.
Clean up your online profile – Restrict who can see your social media profiles and avoid sharing details such as your date of birth and phone number, or answers to common security questions such as the name of your first pet or school.
Recognise the signs and act – Call your network immediately if you receive an unexpected message about your Sim being ported or a PAC request, or you unexpectedly lose service.
Tell your banks – Warn any financial organisations so that they can freeze your accounts and keep a close eye on your bank statements, email and social media accounts for unusual activity. Change your passwords and disable SMS as an authentication method, where possible.
How to block Spam emails for good
We all know that Spam emails can be a thorough nuisance. They can potentially deceive you into handing over personal data while at the same time making it harder to spot the emails you actually want and need to see.
Typically, the advice would be to block the sender and report the message as spam. While this can work for individual instances, it won’t stop spam when the sender constantly rotates the address they send from.
Thankfully, the experts at Which? Tech Support found that by creating filters or custom rules in your email app of choice you can help block junk before it even appears in your inbox. Let’s see how you can do this…
Firstly, you need to open up your Gmail inbox.
Then go to the search bar at the top of your screen and select the ‘show search’ option. This is the icon featuring three lines.
In the Subject box, type in a phrase to filter out. For example, you could enter ‘free bitcoin’.
Then click ‘Create filter’ at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
You will then be taken to another screen. On this next screen, you will be asked what should happen to emails that feature your search phrase. Simply tick Delete it.
Finally, select ‘Create filter’.
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