A sophisticated SIM swapping scam has left an Auckland man searching for answers after $19,300 was withdrawn from his joint bank account in 2 separate transactions. The incident has raised fresh concerns over mobile security and online banking fraud.
Jade Wang, a customer of Kogan Mobile, received a text message from One NZ on April 24 informing him that his phone number had been transferred to a new SIM card. The alert advised him to contact the provider if he had not authorised the request.
After receiving the message, Wang contacted One NZ but was reportedly told that his number was not registered with the company before the call was placed on hold and later disconnected. Since he was not a One NZ customer, he initially believed the message could have been a technical error.
At around 5pm, Wang noticed his mobile phone had lost service. Shortly after, his wife discovered that $19,300 had been withdrawn from their joint ANZ bank account through 2 transactions. The couple immediately contacted the bank, filed a police complaint, reported the loss of photo identification, and blocked their bank cards.
The bank’s investigation later found that Wang’s internet banking password had been reset using his customer number and a verification code sent to his mobile number. The same code was reportedly used to authorise the password reset.
ANZ stated that a third transaction was stopped after additional checks. According to the bank, a call was placed to Wang’s registered mobile number at 5.38pm, where someone claiming to be him answered. Due to concerns during the call, the bank suspended internet banking access. On May 6, the receiving bank returned the full $19,300 amount.
One NZ later confirmed that Wang had been targeted in a fraudulent SIM swap attack. The company said the Office of the Privacy Commissioner had been informed and revealed that a mandatory 15-minute delay has now been introduced for SIM swap requests to help customers identify suspicious activity.
Experts have advised users to avoid sharing personal details online, use strong passwords, and enable app-based 2-factor authentication for added security.
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