Is Madam Boss harvesting phone numbers?
In these days of SIM swapping, identify theft and sophisticated cyber crime, your phone number is more than a string of digits; it can reveal more personal information than you think.
On Saturday, popular comedienne Madam Boss asked her followers to write in their phone numbers in her Facebook comments section so she could send a few lucky ones data bundles or airtime.
The comments section was flooded and attracted over three thousand phone numbers in just 25 minutes. Madam Boss is an influencer and may do anything to keep engagements on her platforms high, but what she did is reckless and irresponsible to her 1 million-plus Facebook followers.
Being followed by over a million Facebook subscribers should come with a high sense of responsibility to the safety of the followers, and a desire to not straddle the ethical boundaries for more fame.
What she did is like asking her followers to one day sleep with all doors unlocked, and they oblige!
I'm not an expert in cyber security issues, but I know that jackers, identity thieves and scammers can use your phone number to find out where you are (and where you’ll be), impersonate you, hijack your phone, or use your accounts.
Hackers can also use your phone number for SIM swapping: your phone number account is installed on the hacker’s phone, who can use it to trick automated services — such as your bank — into believing the hacker is you.
In short, if you shared your phone number online, you’re open to lots of horrible stuff and may want to go back there and delete your phone number. Besides, your didn't even get the promised data bundles 🙄🤣😆.
Source
Felix Chiroro
