Your cell phone can be a gateway to identity theft and now there is a new threat: SIM swapping. Fortunately, a solution is on the horizon. Mobile security provider Payfone has secured a patent involving technology that detects when a SIM card has been swapped and can notify the bank of the person whose number has been switched.
SIM swapping is not inherently bad — you may well have done it to yourself a few times in your life. It involves having a phone number transferred to a different SIM card and it usually happens when people misplace their phone and need to transfer their number to a new SIM.
The common practice becomes exploitative when hackers requests a mobile carrier to transfer your phone number to a SIM card that is in in their possession without your knowledge. Typically fraudsters involved in SIM-swapping fraud use a variety of means to cull personal information about their potential victim. Once the fraudster has the information, they use it to answer the security questions mobile carriers ask to safeguard accounts. And once the mobile carrier deactivates your phone and associates your number with the new SIM card, the fraudster can gain access to your bank account in a number of ways.
SIM swapping is a relatively new threat, but it has already claimed a number of victims. In 2016, Chris Sims (and yes, his name is a bit ironic in this context) had more than $1,500 stolen from his bank account in 75 minutes. Sims says the fraudster called his bank, Halifax, impersonating Sims in order to have his online bank settings reset. Halifax refunded Sims all the money he lost, but the experience had a lasting effect on him. “I’ve been contacted by another woman who this has happened to twice” Sims said. “I won’t be using mobile banking again.”
The Federal Trade Commission noted the number of complaints regarding people hacking into someone’s cell phone or opening a mobile account in a victim’s name more than doubled between January 2013 and January 2016.
Meta wants to make its AI feel like a cute tiny friend through a newly launched pet journal app called Waddle World. Think of it as Tamagotchi, but the pixelated pet can actually chat with you and doodle little illustrations based on what you tell it about your day. Right now, this free app is available on iOS and Android only in the Philippines, with access limited to adults.
Waddle World is a pet that wants to know about your day
What if checking your drinking water for dangerous chemicals were as simple as plugging a tiny gadget into your smartphone? Researchers in Japan have developed a compact sensor that could make that possible, potentially bringing sophisticated water contamination testing out of expensive laboratories and into people's hands.
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have created a portable device capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of PFAS, commonly known as "forever chemicals." The findings were published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, which demonstrate how an inexpensive sensor and a smartphone could make identifying potentially harmful chemicals in water a lot easier.
ShiftCam is adding to its range of iPhone filmmaking accessories with ProRig+, a revised version of its modular camera rig that has dedicated controls for focus, zoom, shutter, and shooting modes. The new system launches on Kickstarter with the ProControl remote, giving mobile creators a higher level of hands-on control without having to constantly tap their iPhone’s screen.
The announcement comes soon after ShiftCam introduced the original ProRig, developed with feedback from Apple. The original model is expected to ship in the coming weeks, while ProRig+ will be a more advanced remote and will be delivered to backers in February 2027. The Kickstarter campaign has also been honored with the platform’s “Projects We Love” designation.