Re: [tlug] OT: Does sim-jacking happen in Japan?

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephenjturnbull@example.com>]

Joe Larabell writes:

 > That's not the most common implementation of this scam... at least in the
 > US (I've never heard either way whether it happens here). The more common
 > version is someone calling a provider or going into the shop and claiming
 > to have lost their SIM card.

Jack Rhysider (Darknet Diaries podcast) just did an episode on this,
worth a listen.  I also don't know whether it happens in Japan (I
suspect that the phone companies would pay handsomely to the victims
if it did to keep it secret).

This particular interviewee claimed that the two most common forms
currently involve (1) going into a store and physically robbing the
manager of the tablet with the app that links the SIM card to the
account, and (2) bribing the manager.  Method (1) obviously leaves a
very short window while the tablet stays useful, so it's a team effort
and is only worth it if you can score big.  Ditto method (2) ($50,000
was mentioned as the going rate for one of the big providers, I think
it may have been Verizon).  So the targets are typically big bitcoin
wallets.

 > One way to put an additional hurdle in place, assuming the 2FA uses an
 > email address, is to use an address that is not associated with your phone.

That's what the former (? ;-) SIM-jacker recommended.

Steve