According to the Federal Trade Commission, in a growing type of fraud known as a “SIM swap” scam, fraudsters take over your mobile account in order to steal your identity. The SIM, or subscriber identity module, card in your phone is the memory chip that stores information identifying the phone to a network. Thieves contact your phone company, claiming to be you, and request activation of a new SIM card with your existing phone number. Your phone goes dead, and the thief can then intercept phone calls and text messages that allow access to financial accounts. As a safeguard, consider adding a password that must be activated before your phone account can be changed.