AT&T is putting up a $10,000 reward after more than 20 copper wire thefts since mid-February hammered neighborhoods southeast of Dallas, knocking out phone and internet service to homes, businesses and even some city facilities. The thefts, which AT&T and local reporters say have also torn up fiber lines and taken down cell-site backhaul, usually go down in the pre-dawn hours, when streets are quiet and repairs are hardest to pull off. Residents from Seagoville to Balch Springs and Mesquite have reported long outages while crews scramble to get everything back online.
Company Releases Photos, Wants Help ID'ing Truck
AT&T released images from a February 11 incident that showed roughly 150 feet of overhead cable sliced along University Hills Boulevard and is asking the public to help identify a truck seen nearby, according to FOX 4. An AT&T investigator told FOX 4 that thieves strip and burn off insulation to get to bare copper, then haul the metal to recyclers for quick cash, and warned that crews have returned to the same hot spots more than once. The company says most of the hits happen between about 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., a window that makes repairs tougher and keeps phones and internet down even longer.
AT&T Says Dallas Thefts Fit a Bigger National Pattern
AT&T investigators say what is happening in southeast Dallas is not a one-off. In a recent post, the company noted more than 10,400 copper theft incidents in 2025 with losses north of roughly $82 million, and warned that at least some of the crime appears organized and large-scale. To fight back, AT&T says it is rolling out a mix of hardened infrastructure, monitoring technology and reward offers aimed at deterring theft and speeding up investigations, according to the company’s reporting.
Local Leaders Tie Copper Thefts To Public Safety Risks
AT&T first introduced a DFW reward program during an earlier wave of copper thefts, and local officials have repeatedly framed the issue as a public safety concern, The Dallas Morning News reported. Police and city leaders across North Texas have urged residents to call in unmarked trucks or people working on utility poles who do not look like obvious crews. Officials say tips from neighbors and transaction records from recyclers are key to tying stolen scrap to specific suspects and actually building prosecutable cases.
Legal Stakes: Felony Charges And Scrap Yard Rules
State guidance makes clear that metal theft is not some harmless side hustle. The Texas Department of Transportation notes that Texas Penal Code Section 31.03 and related rules can bump metal theft up to a felony in many situations, and it points out that scrap yards are required to collect identification and transaction details from sellers. Those recordkeeping rules give investigators a paper trail to follow, but authorities say enforcement gets tricky when thieves strike often and across multiple jurisdictions.
How To Report Tips Without Putting Yourself In Danger
AT&T is asking anyone with specific, credible information to contact local law enforcement as well as the company’s security team. The company is offering up to $10,000 for tips that lead to an arrest and conviction, according to AT&T’s copper theft information page. Officials stress that people should not confront suspected thieves. Instead, note vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers, photos and times when it is safe to do so, then call police and share the same information with AT&T investigators so they can follow up.
