The dark web is a mysterious and often dangerous place on the internet where illegal activities take place. One of the biggest concerns that individuals may have about the dark web is the potential for their personal information to be exposed, including their phone number.
Don’t have an account yet?
What Does it Mean to Have Your Phone Number Found on the Dark Web?
No, your presence on the dark web is at least as permanent as it is on the surface web. You can close any accounts you have on the dark web and delete any content you’ve posted there, but anything that’s held on other people’s servers is likely to stay up for as long as they want to keep it there. SIM-swapping is an illegal activity in which someone other than the owner of a phone number contacts the carrier and convinces it to reroute that number to another device.
I haven’t checked for Digital Secure updates in a while. Am I still protected?
The dark web allows you to be much more anonymous than the surface web, but no network is completely anonymous and no security measure is truly unbreakable. There’s basically nothing you can do to get your phone number off the dark web, but there’s a lot you can do to protect yourself should your phone number fall into the wrong hands. Is there an unfamiliar cell phone account in your name or did your phone suddenly stop working?
Finding your phone number on the dark web can have serious consequences. It could mean that your phone number has been linked to criminal activities, or that it has been sold to malicious actors who may use it for scams, phishing attacks, or other nefarious purposes.
Method 4: Secure Your Online Accounts
Freezing the credit profile won’t affect your credit score and you can unfreeze it at any time. Found your phone number or Dark web and even sensitive information like contact, address, SSN, or bank accounts? In this post, we’ll show you how to prevent your personal information from being misused while better protecting your online security and privacy.
Protecting Yourself Against Dark Web Exposure
How to Avoid Virtual Kidnapping Scams
If you’ve been tricked into clicking a suspicious link or opening a malicious file, you need to have your computer examined for malware. Once cybercriminals have remote access to your computer, the potential for identity theft and financial losses increase dramatically. If possible, use a separate device to locate a reputable source of technical support, as some malware will prevent you from browsing to a legitimate antivirus site. Cyber Monitoring helps reduce your risk of identity theft by letting you know quickly if your personal information is compromised, and in turn enabling prevention or quick resolution of an identity theft incident. Unfortunately, no identity protection tool can prevent identity theft completely.
If you discover that your phone number has been found on the dark web, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. First, change your phone number immediately to prevent further abuse. Next, monitor your accounts and credit reports for any suspicious activity. It’s also important to report the incident to law enforcement and consider enlisting the help of a cybersecurity professional to assess any potential risks.
They can make purchases or transfers in another person’s name, or use phishing tactics and attempt to infect their target’s devices with malware or ransomware to harvest more data. Be careful when using popular search engines to find support phone numbers. Scammers run advertising or create websites that result in fraudulent search engine results, which can also lead to fake tech support phone numbers. Always navigate directly to the Norton or LifeLock member portal to seek tech support. You will never receive an unsolicited call from Norton Support to fix issues with your computer for money. Our specialists assist you in contacting your bank or creditor to cancel your lost or stolen cards.
In conclusion, having your phone number found on the dark web is a serious issue that should not be taken lightly. It’s important to take swift action to protect yourself and prevent any further harm from occurring.
- However, email and text message MFAs are the least secure of all these options.
- If you are sure one of your accounts has been compromised on the dark web, it is a good idea to close the account.
- You should take any unexpected change seriously, even if it doesn’t trigger an automated fraud alert.
- Using data is less risky than using a potentially compromised WiFi connection.
- For example, AAA offers ProtectMyID, a complementary credit monitoring service for all AAA members.
