Why your phone number is a skeleton key

A short read

Before you start

This is general information, not professional security advice. It explains how a phone number can be misused, and calm steps that help. Nothing here says your own accounts are in danger right now. Read it as a map, not an alarm.

Sources

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) — SIM Swap Scams: How to Protect Yourself
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — 2024 Annual Report
FBI IC3 — SIM Swap PSA (PSA220208)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — SIM-Swap and Port-Out Fraud rules, Nov 2023
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — Mobile Communications and Phishing-Resistant MFA guidance
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) — number-porting verification

Read end to end and corrected: August 9, 2026. Numbers checked: August 9, 2026.