# Can't get texts,wtf? \[NEED ANSWER FAST\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 15, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577 "2019-02-15T06:48:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/1 "2019-02-15T06:48:50Z")
Hi, I returned from overseas, and apparently my email was hacked. I spent the last 3 hours changing all my accounts. Now I find I can’t get texts! “We’re sending you a security code” never arrives. I’m going to switch providers, switch phone numbers if I must, but how is this happening!!?! (this is a dupe thread, sorry mods) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/2 "2019-02-15T06:50:12Z")
I can’t get into my facebook, I don’t trust anything right now. My identity has been stolen ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/3 "2019-02-15T06:51:44Z")
Also, how the hell do I text my new email to my thai girlfriend +6 number sans phone?!? I finally called my bank after changing email, and _somebody changed it back_ ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/4 "2019-02-15T06:51:49Z")
Are you getting any other texts? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/5 "2019-02-15T06:55:25Z")
sometimes, but it’s random. Anything financial or personal never shows up. e.g I try to log into facebook, it says it doesn’t know me, I provide mobile number “we’ll send a text, yay!” never shows up. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/6 "2019-02-15T06:56:57Z")
nm, see above ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/7 "2019-02-15T07:05:31Z")
I think it started when I connected with someone’s Instagram today. Things went straight to hell. HALP ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/8 "2019-02-15T07:07:54Z")
Somebody cloned your phone sounds like. Yes the technology exists, has for a while, no it’s not common, or at least I don’t think it is, probably the only thing you can do is get s new phone and phone number. For the rest I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/9 "2019-02-15T07:08:51Z")
Crap. Thanks ☹ ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/10 "2019-02-15T07:11:07Z")
Off to Verizon for SIM and new number ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/11 "2019-02-15T07:11:46Z")
Wait, you were overseas, missed that. Start there with you phone seevice provider, thats where the problem is and where the solution will be found. Did you put a local service sim card into your phone while overseas? Things like that will be some of the questions to amswer to figure this out. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/12 "2019-02-15T07:15:35Z")
DO MOT GO TO VZW RETAIL STORE FOR TECH SUPPORT. Those people are sales staff and pirates bordering on out right thieves and utterly ignorant and will lie to you when it comes to tech support issues. I say this as one who tried his hand as tech support at s vzw call center ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/13 "2019-02-15T07:49:09Z")
wtf? I’m, in USA. You’re giving me no options I’ll ask for a new number, start over. Why is that a problem? And I’m going to ATT ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/14 "2019-02-15T07:55:13Z")
And yes, they suck. So what. I open a new account ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/15 "2019-02-15T10:24:02Z")
Weird things can happen with a cel phone just traveling in the US. My very first live call at the call center was from a guy who went to Virginia to visit his mom, and his phone thought he stayed there instead of going back to his home state. Sometimes the call switching center gets “stuck” and won’t release your phone back to your home area. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/16 "2019-02-15T11:11:51Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Also, how the hell do I text my new email to my thai girlfriend +6 number sans phone?!? Do you have Skype? If not, you can send one free SMS a day from [http://www.talksms.com/](http://www.talksms.com/). Use that one free message to send your new email to her. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/17 "2019-02-15T14:27:43Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > Weird things can happen with a cel phone just traveling in the US. We travel to St Martin every year for vacation. Some years everything works fine with our phones. Some years texts do not work, but Facebook Messenger does. Some years WhatsApp is the only way to talk to the US. This year I couldn’t text (send or receive) for the first week, then suddenly everything worked the second week. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/18 "2019-03-17T18:54:47Z")
Update: I hope I’m close to the end of this identity theft. The advice I was given was that the unique ID for my phone (IMEI?) was what was hacked, and there was no way to fix this short of a different phone with a different ID. [Info here](https://www.techjunkie.com/how-to-clone-cell-phone/), though I’m less than sure how reliable any cite I find is, I’ve seen contradictory info quite a bit. More info welcome if anyone has some. Since my phone and email were both compromised, the perpetrators could have gotten into anything of mine via “forgot password?” links plus getting my 2 level authentication texts. So I’ve had to lock my credit (Experian, Transunion, Equifax), reissue all my credit cards, buy a new phone and abandon my old phone number, yadayada. Most of this was easy, some of it wasn’t\*. Googling about, it seems that some (Android?) phones can be truly cloned (the entire phone contents snatched) with just magic software and proximity to the device. It’s unclear to me if this is even illegal, or what the defense is. I’ve put a VPN on my phone (ExpressVPN – it seems to slow data down less than others) but it’s unclear if that is a defense or just window dressing. FWIW, one of my financial institutions claims that this issue is becoming more prevalent in the US, and that there are groups in Florida and Texas actively swiping phone, um, stuff. Is this true? Got me. \*Citicard, I’m glaring at you. Why send me a new card and then call it fraudulent and lock it - _twice_ over two weeks, during legit purchases? Then once that’s cleared up, declare if fraudulent _three more times_ over two more weeks? _Twice for the same transaction!_ Jesus, a month of this nonsense, and probably 8-10 hours on the phone. I’m out. Hello, Chase! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-texts-wtf-need-answer-fast/829577/19 "2019-03-17T19:13:38Z")
Dude.