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Boost Mobile Fraud
Prevention Guide
Teaming up to prevent fraud
It takes a team and everyday awareness to protect yourself against bad actors. Let's learn what we can do to keep you safe online.
We'll cover common types of fraud and general fraud prevention tips, so you can keep your account safe.
Boost Mobile Fraud
Prevention Guide
Teaming Up to Prevent Fraud
It takes a team and everyday awareness to protect yourself against bad actors. Let's learn what we can do to keep you safe online.
We'll cover common types of fraud and general fraud prevention tips, so you can keep your account safe.
Common Types of Fraud
Learn about the most common online scams and how to prevent them.
Scammers can hijack your phone number by using your name, address, birth date, PINs, passwords or Social Security number to port your number out of Boost Mobile to a device they control. Once they have control of your phone number, scammers will often bypass multi-factor authentication and drain your bank account. Take these steps to protect yourself from Port-Out Fraud:
Scammers can send deceptive messages to your phone. These messages appear to be from a trusted source, like your bank or the IRS. The messages seem urgent and may promise you a reward in exchange for clicking a link or submitting information.
Interacting with the message, such as clicking on the link sent or calling the phone number in the message, can give scammers access to your personal information or allow them to install malware on your device. Scammers may sell your information or use it to perpetrate fraud.
Take these steps to protect yourself from a SIM Swap:
Scammers often target the good conscience of people trying to help others in the wake of a natural disaster. Scammers prey upon people wanting to help, tricking them into donating to phony charities and charitable services.
Take these steps to protect yourself from Post-Disaster Scams:
If a scammer gains control of your SIM card, either by physically switching out the SIM or by using software to “clone” your SIM, they can hijack communications meant for you and reroute them to a device they control.
This lets them outsmart multi-factor authentication and gain access to your financial accounts.
Take these steps to protect yourself from a SIM Swap:
If you get a call from a number you don’t recognize, and it stops after one ring, you may be a target of a “one-ring” scam. Do not answer or return these calls. Calling these numbers back at premium rates is the goal for “one ring” or “wangiri" scammers. The longer you stay on the call, the more money the scammer makes.
Take these steps to protect yourself from One Ring/Wangiri Scams:
General Tips For Staying Cyber-Savvy
Protect yourself from the most common cybercrimes by following these general rules.
Use a Strong Password
It's best to use a password that is at least 8 characters long, with an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, and a special character.
Check Links Before Your Click
Hover your mouse over a hyperlink to check the link in the lower left corner of your browser. On most mobile devices, you can top and hold a link to display the link's destination.
Verify Before Responding to Emails
Return emails addresses can be spoofed! Emails from Boost will almost always come from boost@boostemail.com. If you receive an email from a different email address, do not respond to it.
When in Doubt, Log Out
If you walk away from your computer, or use public computers at a school or library, someone else could reopen your browser and access your accounts.
Learning how to spot scams is the best way to proactively protect your accounts.
You're Asked to Send Money Outside of Normal Payment Methods
Scammers might contact you with a great offer in exchange for upfront payment made through a specific payment method (usually money orders, like Green Dot or Western Union). They may also ask that you purchase gift cards.
You're Asked to Give Out Personal Info
Scammers attempting fraud sometimes call customers and claim to be Boost Mobile reps. Since they can spoof our phone number (make their called ID seem like Boost Mobile), these calls often appear legitimate. We will never call and ask for personal info.
You Get a Call or Email Asking for Personal Information
Phishing (pronounced "fishing") is a term used to describe the process of gathering information. Any additional info that a scammer collects about someone is a successful phishing attempt. If you receive a suspicious call, reach out to us immediately.
If you're a victim of fraud, you should contact the credit reporting bureaus to prevent someone else from opening up loans or bank accounts in your name.
Reporting fraud or fraud attempts to local law enforcement helps them investigate leads and prosecute scammers. Even if your local law enforcement agency doesn't have the resources to investigate it, you can still report it using one of the links below:
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Trade Commission
International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network
Equifax
888-766-0008
Experian
888-397-3742
Trans Union
800-680-7289