Phone porting fraud

An increasing number of Australians are being targeted by a sophisticated phone porting scam. Victims of the scam have their phone numbers switched to a new telco provider, leaving them vulnerable to theft and bank fraud.

If you suspect someone has moved (ported) your mobile phone number to a new telco provider, please contact us immediately on 131 728.

What is phone porting?

Porting is a service offered by telcos that allows consumers to keep their phone number when they change providers. Phone porting is completely legal – in fact, it helps to promote competition between telcos. However, scammers have begun exploiting it to gain access to Australians’ phones and take control of their bank accounts.

This is typically done in one of two ways. Scammers will either:

• transfer their target’s mobile phone services to a new telco provider linked to a device they control, or
• request that your existing provider swaps the SIM card associated with your mobile phone number to one they have access to.

Your telco provider is required to verify your identity before they can port your number to a new SIM card or telco, so the scammers will usually have captured personal details like your full name, date of birth, and email address beforehand.

Why it matters

Mobile phone porting scams are serious because your mobile number is often used to help keep your bank accounts secure.

Once a scammer controls a target’s phone number, they can bypass normal two-factor authentication (2FA) security systems to directly access bank accounts. In some cases, scammers can also access their targets’ superannuation and government services accounts.

Monitoring for suspicious activity

Before attempting to port your number, scammers will need to gather your personal data. This is often done through phishing emails, social engineering, or even by scraping your social media profiles for data they can use to trick a telco provider.

There are also several warning signs which may indicate your phone has been ported. These include:

Loss of mobile service

Victims of porting fraud will typically lose network access and only be able to use their phone in ‘SOS mode’.

Confirmation of a porting request

In some cases you may receive a text or email from your telco letting you know a porting request has been received.

Bills sent by new telco providers

Porting fraud victims may sometimes receive a bill from the new telco provider the scammer has used to make the switch.

Protect yourself from porting fraud

If you suspect your phone number has been ported, please contact Police Bank immediately on 131 728 so we can review and take appropriate action as applicable for your account(s).

You may also like to contact IDCARE, an independent not-for-profit organisation that helps Australians respond to ID theft and cyber crime.

You can also take preventative measures now to reduce the likelihood of being affected by these scams.

These measures include, but not limited to:

• Ensuring your security questions are strong enough that only you know the correct answers.
• Removing your phone number, date of birth and email address from social media accounts.
• Maintaining good digital hygiene (including setting strong passwords and regularly updating them).
• Being wary of cold callers and double-checking email addresses and hyperlinks before clicking them.
• Contacting your telco provider to ask about any additional safety measures they may offer. 

Stay cyber safe

You can find more advice on how to prevent fraud and cyber crime on our upcoming security hub, launching in October 2025.