Has someone else got your old mobile number? How to protect your bank and social media data from the wrong hands.

Old Mobile Number: Have you recently deactivated your old mobile number or switched to a new SIM? If so, this news is very important for you. Many people become carefree after changing their number, thinking that the old SIM is now useless. However, the truth is that your old number is reassigned to someone else after a few months. In such a situation, if you do not take necessary security measures, your personal data, bank information, and social media accounts could fall into the hands of an unknown person.

How does someone else get your old number?

Telecom companies keep every deactivated mobile number inactive for approximately 90 days (three months). If you do not reactivate the SIM during that time, the number is assigned to a new user. Now imagine if the same number is linked to accounts like your bank, Google, Instagram, or WhatsApp, the new user could access your private information through an OTP or recovery message.

How to Protect Your Data from Falling Into the Wrong Hands

If you're changing your number or deactivating your old SIM, first update the new number on all your bank accounts, UPI apps, and social media platforms. Add the new number to services like Gmail, Facebook, WhatsApp, Paytm, and Amazon by going to the "Change Mobile Number" or "Manage Account" option.

Also, log out of your bank and wallet apps and delete your old number. Activate 2-factor authentication (2FA) on the new number to prevent any unknown person from accessing the OTP or recovery code.

Be sure to do this before selling or discarding your old SIM:

If you still have your old SIM, completely deactivate it before discarding it. Log out of all accounts associated with it on your phone and factory reset the device. Remember, simply removing the SIM isn't enough; it's essential to erase the old number from your accounts.

Small carelessness can become a major threat.

Cyber criminals often exploit abandoned old numbers. They can hack your accounts through bank or social media recovery links. So, the next time you change your mobile number, don't just consider it a new connection; change your digital security lock. Because in today's world, changing numbers is easy, but losing data can prove very costly.