ATLANTA — If you get a call out of the blue for a “free” upgrade for being a loyal customer, it may sound like a great deal.
But for one local woman, that “free” upgrade left her on the hook for thousands.
Stephanie Ross told Channel 2 Action News that she fell victim to a scam after receiving a call from someone pretending to be from AT&T, offering a free upgrade for a phone, watch, or tablet.
“Because they knew so much about me, I felt comfortable, and I trust AT&T,” Ross said.
And that’s how they were able to convince her it was a legitimate offer.
The scammer, claiming to be from AT&T’s loyalty department, said all they needed was a code that was sent to Ross.
“He said, ‘Well, I’m going to send you a code.’ And he says, ‘Just read the code back to me,’” Ross said.
Once she provided that code to the caller, it allowed them access to her account.
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She was told she would receive her new phone the next day. After the phone arrived, the scammers claimed something was wrong.
“He was like, no, Ms. Ross, that’s not the right color, so you’re gonna have to return it,” Ross said.
She was instructed to return it using a shipping label sent from an iCloud account.
This process was repeated, raising her suspicions.
That’s when Ross decided to drive to an AT&T store, where she discovered additional lines on her account that she never signed up for.
Willis McDonald, a cyber expert, told Channel 2 Action News that scammers can purchase personal information cheaply, making it easy to dupe consumers.
He received a similar call, but when they asked for a code, he knew something was up.
McDonald said giving that code to scammers can make it hard to get your account fixed.
“You’ve basically confirmed with a phone company, bank, or whoever that this is legitimate. And in some ways, gives them an out,” McDonald said.
That is exactly what happened to Ross. She filed a fraud claim with AT&T and received the following message back:
“AT&T has completed an investigation of the above-referenced account and has determined that the disputed wireless phone number was authorized. Please be advised that you are fully responsible for this wireless account as well as any associated charges.”
After Channel 2 Action News reached out to AT&T about Ross’s situation, they removed the additional lines from Ross’s account and sent us a statement, which read:
“This customer was, unfortunately, the victim of a sophisticated scam. While we offered advice to enhance the security of the customer’s account and ultimately resolved her concerns, we acknowledge that her experience fell short of our high standards for customer care.
“If you suspect fraud on your AT&T wireless account, visit AT&T Fraud Resources | Mobility and contact us at 877.844.5584 immediately. For more information on social engineering, visit Social Engineering | AT&T Cyber Aware.”
Ross credits Channel 2 Action News for getting results.
“I’m certain that reaching out to the news is what triggered it because otherwise I couldn’t get anywhere, I couldn’t even get a supervisor on the line,” Ross said.
She wants everyone to be aware.
“You really just honestly do not think it could happen to you and trust it can happen to anyone,” Ross said.
Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard warns not to answer your phone for anyone other than family or friends, even if the caller ID says it’s from a business.
“Let it go to voicemail because so often people will pretend to be somebody or someplace they’re not,” Howard said.
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