Staying safe
with Gen Mobile:

Your guide to spotting scams and keeping your account protected. Fraud prevention made simple.

Here's the thing about staying safe online - nobody has to do it alone. A little awareness goes a long way, and we've got your back every step of the way.

Common types of fraud.

In this guide, we'll walk through the types of fraud to look out for, plus simple ways to spot the bad actors before they get near you.
Think of it as looking out for each other because that's exactly what we're doing.

Port out scams:

Scammers hijack your phone number by transferring it to a new carrier without your permission.

What happens:

A scammer can hijack your phone number by piecing together your personal info such as things like your name, address, date of birth, PINs, passwords, or Social Security number and using it to move your number off Gen Mobile onto a device they control. Once they've got your number, they can slip past multi-factor authentication to access your accounts, including your bank.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Keep your personal info to yourself. When in doubt, share nothing.
Stay alert. We will never call or text asking for your personal info. If someone does, don't share a thing and reach out to us right away.
When you leave Gen Mobile, we'll set you up with a port-out PIN. Keep it somewhere safe and don't share it.
If it already happened, act fast. Contact your bank and other financial institutions, then place a fraud alert on your credit reports.

Smishing:

Scammers can send deceptive texts that look like they're from a source you trust.

What happens:

Scammers can send deceptive texts that look like they're from a source you trust, like your bank or the IRS. They tend to feel urgent, and they might dangle a reward to get you to click a link or hand over your info.

The moment you interact by clicking the link or calling the number in the message, you can give scammers access to your personal information or let them slip malware onto your device. From there, they may sell what they find or use it to commit fraud.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Don't act. If a text seems suspicious, delete it. Don't reply and don't click anything, even if it tells you to "text STOP."
Confirm before you click. Gen Mobile will never ask for your personal or account info by text. If you get a message that looks like it's from us with a link or a number, reach out to us first before you do anything.
Report it. If a suspicious text claims to be from Gen Mobile, forward it our way right away.
If you already shared info or clicked a link, contact us right away so we can help.

Post-disaster scams:

Fraudsters exploit natural disasters and emergencies to prey on people in vulnerable situations.

What happens:

In the wake of a natural disaster, scammers go after one of the best parts of people, the urge to help. They prey on that generosity, tricking folks into donating to fake charities and bogus relief services.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Stay alert. Before you pay for any service or donate to a cause, verify the person or organization asking.
Keep your personal info to yourself. When in doubt, share nothing.
Confirm before you click. Scammers send links and attachments loaded with malware, or steer you toward fraudulent sites. If you think you've been targeted, file a complaint with the FTC.

SIM swapping:

Criminals take over your SIM card to intercept your calls, texts, and authentication codes.

What happens:

If a scammer gains control of your SIM card, either by physically swapping it out or using software to "clone" it, they can hijack the communications meant for you and reroute them to a device they control.

That lets them outsmart multi-factor authentication and get into your financial accounts.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Keep your personal info to yourself. When in doubt, share nothing.
Stay alert. We will never call or text asking for your personal info. If someone does, don't share a thing and reach out to us right away.
Get an eSIM. An eSIM is a digital SIM that does away with the physical card altogether, and since there's nothing to remove, there's nothing to swap.
Report fraud. If your device is lost or stolen, reach out to us right away.
If you already suspect you've been targeted, act fast. Contact your bank and other financial institutions, then place a fraud alert on your credit reports.

One ring / Wangiri:

A single-ring call designed to bait you into calling back a premium-rate international number.

What happens:

If you get a call from a number you don't recognize and rings once, you might be the target of a "one-ring" scam. Don't answer and don't call back. Getting you to return the call at premium rates is the goal for "one-ring," or "wangiri," scammers. The longer you stay on the line, the more money they make.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Stay alert. Don't answer numbers you don't recognize. If a suspicious number keeps calling, don't share anything with the caller and reach out to us right away.
Check before you call back. Confirm a number is legit before you answer or return the call.
If you think you're being targeted, the move is simple: don't pick up and don't call back.
If you think you're being targeted, the move is simple: don't pick up and don't call back.

AI Voice Cloning (Vishing):

Scammers only need a few seconds of someone's voice to fake it. Here's how the trick works, and why it falls apart the second you slow down.

What happens:

Voice cloning tools can recreate a person's voice from just a short audio sample. Scammers pull that sample from public videos, usually social media posts where you or a family member are talking on camera. 

With the cloned voice, they call you pretending to be that person in an emergency. A car accident, an arrest, a stranded trip. The story always ends the same way: they need money, and they need it before you have time to check. That urgency is the whole trick. It's not clever, it's just pressure.

Here’s how to stay ahead:

Don't send anything in the moment. Hang up and call them back on the number saved in your contacts. That one move beats the entire scam.
Don't trust the caller ID. Scammers spoof numbers to look like your loved one or the local police. The screen can lie, your contacts list can't.
Be mindful of posting videos where your voice, or your kids' voices, can be recorded by strangers. Less material for them to work with.

How to spot scams?

Knowing the warning signs is one of the best ways to stay a step ahead and keep your accounts protected.

01

You're asked to send money in an unusual way.

Scammers might come at you with a great offer, as long as you pay upfront through a specific method, usually money orders like Green Dot or Western Union. They might also ask you to buy gift cards. That's a red flag.

02

You're asked ot hand over personal info.

Sometimes scammers call pretending to be Gen Mobile reps. They can spoof our number, making their caller ID look like it's really us. So these calls can seem legit. Here's the thing to remember: we will never call and ask for your personal info.

03

You get a call or email fishing for personal info.

Phishing (yep, pronounced ‘fishing’) is when someone tries to reel your information out of you bit by bit. Every extra detail they collect is a win for them. If a call or email feels off.

How you can report fraud.

Contact the credit reporting bureaus to prevent someone else from opening loans or bank accounts in your name. Report fraud to law enforcement using the resources below.