If your phone just suddenly dies, it may be scam artists trying to grab your two-step authentication code to access your bank account, says WSB consumer expert Clark Howard.

He says it’s a SIM card hijacking. The crooks have found a weakness in the security systems of the four major cell phone carriers. They get control of your phone service and immediately try to access your bank accounts. When the bank sends the two-step authentication code it goes to the scammers who've hijacked your cell phone. "This is happening like a plague right now", says Howard.

He says the phone companies will allow you to set up a secret number, like a PIN code, that the criminals won't know. You have to ask your cell phone company to set up the PIN code. Howard also recommends using different passwords and codes for all of your accounts.