Here’s why you need to change this setting on your phone immediately.
The latest scam involves a piece of equipment known as an “SMS Blaster,” or GSM gateway. These devices broadcast a signal, and can trick your mobile phone into connecting. Once connected the scammer can send all sorts of fun things to your phone. That’s because their pirate network doesn’t include any of the filters or safety protocols your wireless provider employs to block spam or malware.
The good news is, for now, these devices are limited to operating on the fairly obsolete 2G band. Most of us use 5G. Which is three better!
Seriously, the old 2G signal can still be used by most phones as a fallback if there is no better option. Unless you’re in a rural area you probably never use 2G. So turning it off now would be a really good idea!
If you have an Android phone (Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola, etc.) you can easily turn off 2G under Network Settings. On my Pixel 6 the setting is at the bottom of the screen found at Settings > Network & Internet > SIM.
This setting should be disabled!
Currently iPhone users are unable to disable 2G connectivity. Hopefully there will be an update from Apple to address this vulnerability soon.
