AT&T's new Wireless Account Lock can protect you from SIM swapping

AT&T has a nifty new way of ensuring that its customers don't get SIM swapped.

The telecom giant, which notably just agreed to a big settlement for huge data breaches, announced a new feature called Wireless Account Lock on its website, via TomsGuide. It's available in the myAT&T phone app for postpaid customers, and it's activated simply by hitting a toggle button. Once you toggle Wireless Account Lock on, nobody in the account can do the following until it is turned off:

• Change SIM card/eSIM

• Upgrade device

• Add a new line

• Change billing information

• Change phone numbers

• Transfer phones

• Switch authorized users

The only way to do any of those things after Wireless Account Lock has been turned on is to physically access the phone in which the app is installed and toggle it off. The idea here is to prevent SIM swapping, a form of online scam where malicious actors essentially steal your phone number from you so they can access any accounts of yours that require two-factor authentication.

So, if you're an AT&T customer, it might be best to turn this on, just in case.