AT&T Security Flaw

[mpage3]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section - I tried to put in the right place.

While I was on a flight, someone called AT&T pretending to be me and reported my phone as stolen. I am not the account holder, but I am an authorized user. They were able to convince AT&T customer support to activate a SIM card with my number on it. AT&T says they have no audio recordings of the conversation. They said standard procedure is that the individual would have had to had the address and the account pin. They did not have that, as I do not know the account pin.

AT&T said they used my name and address address, as well as the account pin. The flaw with that is that my parents' address is 6 months old, and has never been associated with me at all as I moved out years ago.

That individual activated my number on their phone after help from AT&T. They were able to make/receive calls and text messages from my number during that time.
They were able to reset my passwords, as resets were set to be linked to my phone. Because they gained access to my text messages, they requested resets via text. I am now locked out of all of my accounts - specifically my business accounts. All I need is a letter from AT&T saying my service was compromised. Because I am not the primary account holder, I cannot obtain such a letter. In fact, they won't even send such a letter to the account holder (my mother) with her name on it. I suspect this is because they do not want to admit fault.

After hours of time on the phone with AT&T, I have gotten nowhere.

I am out thousands of dollars due to losing access to these business accounts.

Is there any civil action I can take against AT&T for this breach of security?

 

[justalayman]

I don’t see how they are at fault. If the person seeking changes claimed to be the account holder and has the pin, at&t didn’t do anything wrong. Suggesting the party just made a wild guess and guessed your pin on the first try is behind plausible. It’s likely they obtained the pin from the account holder somehow. Maybe a phishing scam.


Have you made a police report or made a report with these folks?


https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx




Have you contacted all of your banking institutions and reported fraudulent activity so they would at lease freeze the accounts?

 

[quincy]

There is little you can accomplish with AT&T as an authorized user. The account holder needs to be contacting AT&T.

You apparently are one of many many people who had your phone number hacked. All phone companies have had trouble with the same "porting" identification theft scheme.

Once your phone number is changed by the hacker, none of the information on your phone is safe.

Both you and the account holder should contact the three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) to add fraud warnings and credit freezes, and contact your banks to report identity theft. Change account numbers and PIN numbers. Everything connected to your phone needs to be changed (account numbers, passwords).

Sign up for credit monitoring.

Justalayman provided a good link to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The IC3 will refer your complaint to your state's investigative unit.

Good luck.

 

[TheGeekess]

As far as you being 'linked' to your parents, as long as you have financial ties (and long after) your information will be tied to your parents, no matter where they or you move or live. I have not lived near my parents in over 13 years, but had financial ties (insurance policies, car loans, phone accounts) in common with my father for many years. He's now getting scam calls from the "IRS" looking for me, among other goofiness.

 

[quincy]

As far as you being 'linked' to your parents, as long as you have financial ties (and long after) your information will be tied to your parents, no matter where they or you move or live. I have not lived near my parents in over 13 years, but had financial ties (insurance policies, car loans, phone accounts) in common with my father for many years. He's now getting scam calls from the "IRS" looking for me, among other goofiness.

My parents continue to receive mail and phone calls for me. Generally they are from alumni associations looking for donations.

mpage3, what is the name of your state?

 

[FarmerJ]

So from this point on into the future are you going to cease relying on a phone to be your memory and have so much information that you must have for day to day business that if you lose that phone or access to it again that you will have the same problem all over ? Id lay odds that somewhere in ATT contract language they have wording that holds them harmless even if the mistake was theirs ? I suggest you use a real paper bound phone book - small note book to carry on you and stop relying on machines to be your memory but to keep it all on paper , one copy in a safe place too.

 

[quincy]

So from this point on into the future are you going to cease relying on a phone to be your memory and have so much information that you must have for day to day business that if you lose that phone or access to it again that you will have the same problem all over ? Id lay odds that somewhere in ATT contract language they have wording that holds them harmless even if the mistake was theirs ? I suggest you use a real paper bound phone book - small note book to carry on you and stop relying on machines to be your memory but to keep it all on paper , one copy in a safe place too.

That's sort of cute, FarmerJ.

As smart a solution as yours might be, I do not think there is any chance at all of everyone going back to pencil and paper to jot down notes, or using phones as phones.

All of the phone companies are, and have been for awhile now, reporting customer problems with phone number port out scams. T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T all have sent out warnings and suggestions on how to prevent your personal information from being stolen.

I agree and think it best to keep personal information off phones or have backups but I don't see that happening on a widespread scale.