Real conversation with my shit bank
Me: Hey, I want to change the phone number associated with my card because I no longer have access to it. (aka stolen). I can't find the option to do so on your website anymore.
Them: Yeah, for security reasons you now have to come down to the bank (which involves standing in line for anywhere between 40 minutes and 2 hours) to do that simple change.

The actual fuck.

How about calling your phone service provider to kill the old sim card and to get a new one? Or even tracking where the phone is.

Just imagine the phone bill if you didn't already do that.

So you think that the bank should happily ditch 2FA just because some guy calls in via phone?

Let's put this into context of why a bank needing proof makes sense.

Random: hi, I would like to change my phone number to my bank account.

Bank: sure let's get that changed, what's the new number?

Random: xxx-xxx-xxx-xxxx

Bank: that's been done, have a nice day.

You: WHERE THE FUCK IS ALL MONEY

Bank: sorry sir, you changed your details and emptied your account.

@C0D4 op was trying to change it online, though

@electrineer same thing applies.

The average person can't be trusted with passwords these days either to secure their account, but a bank should have more then a phone number for 2FA as an option.

Stupid people are to blame all round.

@C0D4 in germany 2fa means in 90% that your bankcard has the hotp value that is in sync with the bank

@electrineer I just charged money whenever I needed to, so no bill problems there. I tried calling the phone company but even if I gave them the blood of my firstborn son, they refuse to kill the phone unless I have the IMEI, which I don't. I provided extensive proof of identity but they still wouldn't do it. The only way I think I'll get the IMEi is to go to the store where I bouhgt the phone 2 years ago and demand to see the data. (Hah!)

@Fast-Nop The option was available online before. I can still login to my bank account and do whatever I want there. They literally removed the option in the dashboard.

This from the same bank that makes you input your BANK CARD PIN NUMBER every time you call customer service.

@nitnip if you were logged in to Google, you should see IMEI from https://www.google.com/android/find

@electrineer Nice. Didn't know that. That actually helps.

@nitnip The IMEI should also be on the phone package and possibly the receipt / shipping note.

Seems otherworldly to me though to connect the SIM so strongly to the hardware.. it's not like phones being stolen / getting lost has never happened before.

I was able to change my sons phone number over the phone. There was a load of security questions to go through but it was possible.

@electrineer Nevermind, even with all my data AND the IMEI, the phone company refuses to do anything unless I come down personally to one of their offices. What a fucking joke.