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I picked up my phone when I woke up one Monday morning in May in order to browse through memes and read the news. Its cell service was unavailable. Calls and texts were not possible for me. But that was the least of my issues, as it happened.

Using my home Wi-Fi connection, I checked my email and discovered a notification that $20,000 was being transferred from my credit card to an unfamiliar Discover Bank account. I quickly thwarted that transfer and reported the cell phone issues, but my nightmare was just starting. Days later, someone managed to transfer $19,000 from my credit card to the same strange bank account.

Port-out hijacking, sometimes referred to as SIM-swapping, is a form of fraud that caused me harm. Your phone number is taken over by thieves in this less frequent type of identity theft. Send them any texts or calls; they won’t get through.

When your own phone access is lost to a criminal, the very steps you once took to protect your accounts, such as two-factor authentication, can be used against you. It doesn’t help to have a bank send a text to verify a transaction when the phone receiving the text is in the hands of the very person trying to break into your account. Even if you’re a relatively tech-savvy individual who follows every recommendation on how to protect your tech and identity, it can still happen to you. Experts say these scams will only increase and become more sophisticated, and the data show they are on the rise.

I am not the most tech-savvy person, but I am a law-school-educated journalist who specializes in finance reporting. Due to the very online nature of my job, I was taught all the methods of staying safe online: constantly changing my passwords with multi-factor authentication, signing out of apps that I don’t use regularly, and keeping my personal information off the internet. Still, despite being safe, I was vulnerable to criminals. It took a lot of time and legwork before I got my money and phone number back.

The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that SIM-swapping complaints have increased more than 400% from 2018 to 2021, having received 1,611 SIM-swapping complaints with personal losses of more than $68 million. Complaints to the FCC about the crime have doubled, from 275 complaints in 2020 to 550 reports in 2023.

Rachel Tobac, CEO of SocialProof Security, an online security company, says the rate of the crime is likely much higher since most identity thefts are not reported. She also says two-factor authentication is an outdated way of keeping consumers safe since it’s possible to find anyone’s phone number, birthday, and social security number through any number of public or private databases on the web.

The ability of thieves to obtain your personal information was again made clear when AT&T said the data of nearly all of its customers was downloaded to a third-party platform in a security breach two years ago. Although AT&T claims no personal information was leaked, cybersecurity experts have warned that breaches involving telephone companies leave customers vulnerable to SIM swapping.

Switching numbers from one phone to another is easy and can be done online or over the phone. The process takes less than a few hours as long as a criminal has your personal information on hand. Consumers need to be smart about having a variety of different passwords and protections, but they also need to “put pressure on companies where it’s their job to protect our data,” Tobac said. “We need them to update consumer protection protocols,” she said, since two-factor authentication is not enough.

FCC rules have recently changed to force companies to do more to protect consumers from this type of scam. In 2023, the FCC introduced rulemaking that requires wireless providers to “adopt secure methods of authenticating a customer before redirecting a customer’s phone number to a new device or provider” among other new rules. Companies could require more information when a customer tries to port over a phone number to another phone — from requiring government identification, voice verification, or additional security questions.

The White House Office of Management will conduct a further assessment before the rules go into effect, as postponed from July 8 to July 5. The FCC gave phone companies a waiver on July 5 to postpone compliance. One of the grounds given by the wireless industry for their request for a delay was that businesses want additional time to comply. The wireless carriers’ lobbying group, CTIA, stated that the new regulations will necessitate significant adjustments to internal technology and processes as well as to how they deal with phone makers.

But if the FCC rules had been in place, my phone number might have been harder to steal, experts say. Ohio State University Professor Amy Schmitz says the new FCC rules make it easier for consumers to protect themselves, but it is still reliant on the action and awareness of the consumers. “I still question whether consumers will be aware of this and will take action to protect themselves,” she said.

It took ten days to get my number back from Cricket Wireless — and that wasn’t until I told company representatives that I was writing a story about my experience. In that period of time, the scammer was able to access my bank account three times and eventually successfully transferred $19,000 from my credit card— even though I removed my number from the bank account, froze my credit, changed all my passwords, among other measures.

Bank of America worked to reverse the $19,000 wire after I visited a branch near the AP bureau in Washington. Cricket apologized for the error and said in an email that its “expectation is to deliver a much better customer experience.” “Fraudulent port-outs are a form of theft committed by sophisticated criminals,” reads a company statement that was emailed to me. “We have measures in place to help defeat them, and we work closely with law enforcement, our industry, and consumers to help prevent this type of crime.”

An AT&T representative told me in an email that “all providers are working to implement the FCC’s new rules on port-outs and SIM swaps.” I’m still unsure of how this person got access to my accounts, whether through my social security number, phone number, date of birth, or possibly a recording of my voice. It was a hard lesson in how vulnerable we are when we lose control of our personal information that is so publicly available.

The sense of helplessness and frustration was overwhelming. Despite my knowledge and precautions, I felt exposed and unprotected. The process of regaining control over my accounts and my life was arduous. Each call to customer service, each visit to the bank, and every email exchanged with service providers was a reminder of how easily one’s life can be disrupted by digital thieves.

What stands out most is the inadequacy of current protective measures. Two-factor authentication, once heralded as a strong security measure, seems almost quaint in the face of modern cyber threats. The criminals’ ability to reroute my phone number and intercept security texts exposed a glaring vulnerability. It was clear that more robust security protocols are needed.

The support from friends and colleagues during this time was invaluable. Sharing my experience not only brought awareness to this type of fraud but also connected me with others who had faced similar ordeals. We exchanged tips, offered support, and collectively called for better security measures from service providers.

The experience has made me more vigilant. I now advocate for greater awareness of SIM-swapping and other forms of identity theft. It’s crucial for everyone to understand that even the most cautious individuals can become victims. Awareness and advocacy are the first steps towards more robust protections.

In the aftermath, I remain in close contact with my bank and service providers, ensuring that all possible security measures are in place. The ordeal has been a stark reminder of the importance of digital security in our interconnected world. It’s a call to action for companies and consumers alike to prioritize and enhance their protective measures.

My perspective on digital security has ultimately changed as a result of this encounter. It has brought attention to the significance of keeping up with new threats and regularly changing security procedures. Even though recovery was difficult, the experience highlighted how important it is to be vigilant and resilient when dealing with cybercrime.

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