Tricks to Prevent Your Account from Draining SIM Card Recycling Routes, Says Experts

Morrissey Technology – ICT Institute Executive Director Heru Sutadi mentioned the importance of using additional security features on digital service accounts so that they are not easily hacked if cellphone numbers are lost or recycled. Previously, a victim of a SIM card or recycled SIM number went viral who said his account had been hacked by a new user of his number.

“On March 15, the hacker bought [my] number which was no longer active. And finally used it to hack my credit card first. There was a withdrawal from PayPal amounting to US$ 1,200,” he said in a video re-uploaded by the account @shakazam1524 on X, Wednesday (20/3).

He admitted that he was negligent and did not pay attention to the active period of his number, until it entered a grace period and was finally blocked. The new user of the number, he said, attempted to break into his various accounts, one of which was the Shopee business account. Heru mentioned the importance of additional security features used in various digital and financial services to avoid cases like this. According to him, cybercriminals will not be able to easily break into accounts using just a cellphone number, unless these accounts are not protected.

“If it’s just a number, it can’t be misused by other parties, unless it’s the cell phone and the number… If we don’t have a password, other people can use all our data,” said Heru.

Therefore, Heru appealed to the public to provide double verification for each account on the digital services used.

“First, when we have a digital-based service that uses our cellphone number, we should also use double verification. Whether with a PIN, or fingerprint, or email,” he said.

“So if our cellphone number changes, or our cellphone is taken, this will not be easily used by other parties,” he added.

He also appealed to immediately make data adjustments to these services if you have changed cellphone numbers. If the service or account is not used, Heru urges you to close it so that it is no longer associated with you.

Apart from that, the public is also advised to be alert to cybercrime methods such as phishing which aim to collect personal data. Furthermore FOR4D, Heru said that cell phone numbers are now not only an identity for communicating, but can also be linked to various services. Therefore, we must be careful in using numbers.

“Indeed, now it is a bit different from 10-15 years ago, where at that time cellphone numbers were just cellphone numbers,” he said.

“But now we use cellphones for various purposes, you could say to access various social media, including to create accounts related to e-commerce, then bank accounts or other things.”

“So we have to be careful when using numbers or changing numbers,” he concluded.