Hackers Are Hijacking Phone Numbers and Breaking into Email, Bank Accounts

Re:Hackers Are Hijacking Phone Numbers and Breaking into Ema... by rsync on Monday June 12, 2017 @03:40PM (#14540363)

"Once you’ve created the new island-unto-itself email address, create a new Google Voice number." Use this Google Voice # to secure your primary accounts, and don't have your telco # listed in any of those accounts."

The problem with this otherwise good idea is that google will not allow you to keep this account as an island.

Eventually you will get the "we've noticed something suspicious about your account" dialog which requires entering some other, unrelated phone number. You're locked out until you do so.

The suspicious behavior is, of course, signing up without a live phone number.

Ironically, they will accept any number you input with no verification that it is related to the account in any way. They just want to see a live, carrier number input.

(This has been my experience from within the US)

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Re:Hackers Are Hijacking Phone Numbers and Breaking into Ema... by shostack on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @02:20AM (#14543154)

What an interesting way of increasing phone number data conversion rates.

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Re:Hackers Are Hijacking Phone Numbers and Breaking into Ema... by klez on Tuesday June 13, 2017 @05:10AM (#14543659)

Twitter does that too. At some point I created another account without specifying a phone number, posted a tweet from there and next thing you know they are flagging it for suspicious activity and asking for my phone number to unlock the account.

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