Scammers hacked her phone and stole thousands - so how did they get her details?

"Sue told the BBC how scammers went after her. We found her details had been leaked online. She was a victim of what's known as a Sim swap attack - where scammers trick a network operator into thinking they're the account holder to get a new Sim card for a mobile device. They used it to take over almost all her online accounts through her phone. She said the experience was "horrible"."

""The scammers took over my Gmail account and then locked me out of my bank accounts because they failed security checks," she said. Sue also had a credit card opened in her name and the criminals purchased more than 3,000 in vouchers. It took multiple trips to the branches of her bank and mobile phone provider to get her accounts back."

A woman's phone number, email, date of birth and physical address were exposed in breaches at PaddyPower (2010) and Verifications.io (2019). Attackers used the leaked personal data to perform a SIM swap by convincing a mobile operator to issue a replacement SIM, enabling interception of security codes. The criminals took control of Gmail and bank accounts, opened a credit card in her name, and purchased more than 3,000 in vouchers. They also sent threatening WhatsApp messages to groups. Recovery required multiple visits to bank and mobile provider branches, illustrating elevated vulnerability after data breaches.

Read at www.bbc.com