Is it possible to duplicate a SIM card without closing the original?


A duplicate MTS SIM card is a full-fledged working copy of a SIM card with the same information that is recorded on the original, the same tariff and total balance. The peculiarity of using such cards is that every action on one card is instantly reflected in the state of the second. That is, changing the tariff plan on the original will necessarily lead to a change in the tariff on the clone; making a call or other paid actions will affect the total balance or the rest of the packages src=»https://operator-wiki.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/ 03/mts-bank-zakryt-kartudublikat-sim-karty-mts.jpg" class="aligncenter" width="700″ height="400″[/img]

With that said, users should consider whether they really need a second card. Moreover, telephone operators registered in Russia do not provide services for copying SIM cards, preferring to leave clients with one copy. At the same time, they immediately carry out the procedure of replacing the SIM card with a new one with similar data if the old one is damaged. Theoretically, this approach is designed to increase the security of clients’ personal data and finances. In reality, it can bring certain inconveniences to subscribers who need an additional card.

Is cloning legal?

There is currently no legal justification for duplicating SIM cards in the Russian Federation. There is a theoretical possibility of creating a twin.

The country's mobile operators do not issue duplicates without good reason: the lack of ability to restore or find a SIM. When applying for a card with a number, the client receives a SIM card in a single copy.

Such actions help prevent fraudsters from debiting funds from customer accounts. Another important point is the security of citizens’ personal data. An additional card can lead to a number of problems.

Telecom operators have developed tariff plans to combine options and advantageous offers. The services can be used by several connected subscribers. However, connecting additional numbers to the tariff may require additional costs.

If a mobile operator detects illegal cloning, the following measures will be taken:

Get a duplicate SIM card from your operator

Cellular companies are ready to issue duplicate SIM cards to their subscribers to restore the functionality of a card that is unusable.

Terms of provision:

In order to save time, the subscriber can order the production of a duplicate through the support service of the mobile operator. Operations for issuing copies of cards are entered into the operator’s database and recorded with certain documents.

Relatively recently, duplication was done in the literal sense of the word. It was used as an additional card in another phone. Operators were not happy with such an initiative. The legality of the actions was in question.

Over time, gadgets have been modernized. Technical devices can not only provide telephony, but also Internet access. Smartphones now contain several compartments for parallel use of several SIM cards in one device. SIM cards are equipped with protection against unauthorized access to information. Equipment that is designed for copying cannot cope with deciphering encoding algorithms. Duplicating a SIM card means restoring it after a malfunction. Each mobile operator issues duplicate cards to its customers free of charge upon confirmation of personal data.

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Why do you need a SIM card clone?

There are several good reasons for SIM proliferation. The main ones are related to ease of use.

  1. Installing one number in several gadgets at once, so as not to rearrange the SIM card. It is prohibited to make two SIM cards for one Tele2 number.
  2. Receiving one card with several numbers at once. A rare case, but subscribers are trying to create a device that incorporates two or more mobile phones. This way you can use the device to organize communication with several operators.

A SIM card clone is made just in case. For example, to carry a backup method of communication with you if you forgot your phone at home. Also an unlikely scenario: the gadget is too important, and few people don’t check it before leaving.

Most often they try to make two SIM cards for one Tele2 number, but the company’s policy does not imply this. And then unofficial duplicators come into play.

Cost Megafon Moscow

The cost of connecting the “Second number” option is 30 rubles. , debited from the balance one time, daily payment 1 rub .

The system offers a standard telephone number in federal format, but the subscriber has the right to choose the number capacity for an additional fee.

The cost depends on the room category:

  • Regular number – 970 rub.
  • “Silver” number – 4970 rubles.
  • “Golden” number - 14,970 rubles.

The main difference between these numbers is the number of identical digits. The more of them there are in a number, the easier it is to remember, and accordingly, the higher its cost.

How to duplicate

There are several options that allow you to clone your SIM card. And here it is worth noting that some operators actively use this technology, which makes it possible to provide subscribers with SIM card duplication as an additional service. Several types of services are provided for users, both for using an additional SIM card for the Internet and for receiving all services.

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However, Russian operators do not provide this opportunity to subscribers, despite world practice. And here it’s not even a question of price, since MegaFon, MTS, and Beeline don’t even offer to buy a duplicate SIM card. Therefore, the subscriber performs all actions related to cloning a SIM card at his own peril and risk.

The only real alternative is to use an Internet package on several numbers. However, this will require not only paying for such a service, but also buying an additional SIM card from the same operator.

Please note that not every SIM card can be duplicated. The simplest thing is to get a duplicate from an old SIM card that was released several years ago. It is worth considering here that such SIMs do not support the latest communication standards and do not allow the use of them. Thus, LTE Internet will not be available, but this is not a significant limitation for those who continue to use such cards.

To obtain a duplicate SIM card, you will need to extract information about the number (IMSI) and the encryption key from it. Not all SIM cards can receive this data. However, if you do not have the newest SIM card, then you can safely try to clone it.

Making a duplicate SIM card does not imply liability to the operator, since the subscriber pays for all communication services even from a clone. However, they can disable the copied SIM card if it is misused.

Here you need to pay attention to why, for example, you need an MTS duplicate SIM card? You can duplicate an MTS SIM card either on a separate SIM or on a multi-SIM. The latter allows you to record data about several numbers on it

In any case, you will need a SIM card duplicator, which is also called a programmer or reader. It comes complete with software that is required to install on your computer

When buying a SIM card duplicator, you should pay attention to what operating systems its software supports.

You will also need a blank SIM card on which a duplicate SIM card of MTS, Beeline, MegaFon will be written, and you can buy it in Yaroslavl and Moscow without a passport. When choosing, you need to consider the type of card, since they differ in built-in memory. This determines how many numbers can be recorded on it, and how many messages and contacts can be stored in its memory. Also, most pure sims have a mini and micro format, but to get a nano it will also have to be cut, and in the case of a multisim, this is not always possible.

An important question is how much does such a duplicate MegaFon or Beeline SIM card cost? And here it all depends on where the programmer is purchased. You can order it on Ali for 150-200 rubles, but here they sell from 500 rubles.

Before you start copying, be sure to disable the PIN code request on the original SIM card. After that, you need to install it in the programmer and connect it to the computer on which its software is installed.

By launching the program, the SIM card is scanned. Her data will be saved in a special file. After the card has been copied, you can begin recording its data onto a blank one. To do this, you need to install a blank card in the reader and start writing the original data to it.

After the data has been written to it, you need to install a new card into the device, connect it to the computer, and use the program to complete the cloning process. After rebooting the device, you can use a clone of the SIM card.

Possible problems

Independent illegal cloning of a card entails the threat of sanctions from the mobile company. If duplicates are detected, it can block all SIMs of the subscriber and refuse to provide him with communication services in the future.

The second SIM card may end up in the hands of scammers who, using the phone number, will restore access to your email account, banking applications and social media accounts.

The expected benefit from duplicating the operator's original SIM card may be negligible compared to the limitations and problems of using it. If you have questions about replacing a SIM card, it is better to contact the employees of any office or communication store, or call technical support.

Cloning SIM cards

You can bet that almost every cell phone owner has heard stories about SIM card cloning at least once in their life. There are quite widespread misconceptions that it costs nothing for criminal elements to create a clone of a SIM card and talk at your expense, and law enforcement agencies use clones of SIM cards to listen to conversations.

As with any other good misconception, there is a small amount of truth in these. Yes, it is indeed possible to create a clone of a SIM card, but only under certain conditions. However:

  1. Cloning is a rather labor-intensive process
  2. Its success is not guaranteed
  3. The user may notice that his SIM card has a clone. It's even easier for the mobile network operator to do this.

The rest of the article is devoted to detailing why things are the way they are.

Before talking about cloning, it is necessary to first briefly highlight the role of the SIM card in the processes occurring in the GSM network. As you know, a SIM card is a unique identifier of a subscriber, his “mobile passport”. The uniqueness of an ordinary passport is confirmed by its serial number, authenticity by watermarks and other typographical tricks. Is it possible to draw parallels with a SIM card? Yes, it is quite.

Each SIM card has a unique number called IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), which contains, in particular, information about the country and operator whose network the subscriber is served by. This number is the main subscriber identifier with which mobile operators associate all other information - phone number, address details of the subscriber, balance of money in his account, etc.

The authenticity of the SIM card is verified using a special “key” called “Ki”. This key, which is a multi-digit number, is stored in two places - in the SIM card itself and in the database. During subscriber registration on the network:

  1. The phone receives a “password” from the base station in the form of a random number called “RAND” (hereinafter the names are taken from the official description of GSM standards).
  2. This number is encrypted by the SIM card processor using a certain special A3 algorithm using Ki.
  3. The resulting result (“SRES”) is sent back.
  4. The same operation is performed independently on the mobile operator's network, after which the authentication server compares its SRES value with that received from the phone. If they match, then the validity of the SIM card is confirmed.

Obviously, a clone of a SIM card must go through a similar procedure so that the authentication server cannot distinguish the clone from the original. From the description of the procedure, it follows that for this, the clone must have the same unique IMSI number, and the same secret key Ki must be stored in it.

A little more and we’ll move on to discussing cloning itself, but for now let’s ask ourselves why someone might need a SIM card clone .

There are two popular reasons. Firstly, it is the combination of several SIM cards into one, the so-called multi-SIM. Every time you turn on the phone or type a special combination of characters on the keyboard, the multi-SIM selects the next pair (IMSI, Ki) from its memory and thus begins to pose as another SIM card. Solutions available on the market allow you to place data from 16 regular SIM cards on one multi-SIM.

Secondly, criminals can make duplicates of your SIM card in order to talk at your expense . However, they will have problems receiving incoming calls, so such duplicates are usually used only for outgoing calls for a short time. You may have met young people in your city with a bunch of phones on their belts and a sign “1 minute to any number in the world” - these are potential consumers of such clones.

Restrictions

Like any tariff option, the second number has a number of limitations and features:

  1. Additional fees, except for the subscription fee, are not debited from the second number.
  2. Subscribers with a negative balance and those who use .
  3. Only incoming voice communication is available for this service.
  4. An additional number is provided to the subscriber for the period of validity of the Communication Services Agreement, which means that the number can be transferred from one client to another.
  5. If the balance is insufficient, communication services on the second number are not provided; they are resumed after the account is topped up.

Having such an additional number is very convenient, so Megafon subscribers appreciated this service. It really helps to get rid of spam and calls from ill-wishers.

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