A Delaware man says he thought he was getting a free phone upgrade from AT&T. Instead, the offer turned out to be a scam.
The case, covered by CBS News Philadelphia, reflects a pattern showing up in consumer complaints across the country, where callers posing as wireless carrier representatives dangle free devices or discounted plans, only to leave customers holding the bill.
A Familiar Script Playing Out Nationwide
The Delaware man's experience echoes other cases involving callers claiming to represent AT&T. In one instance detailed by WPXI, a customer named Stephanie Ross got a call from an unknown number offering her a free upgrade, and later discovered extra lines had been added to her account. The same report says Ross was asked to read back a verification code sent to her phone, allowing scammers to access her account.
A similar case played out in Mississippi, where Action News 5 reported that a Southaven woman accepted what she believed was a discounted plan and phone upgrade from a caller claiming to be with AT&T, only to end up with a bill totaling almost $2,000, according to the station's reporting.
Complaints Have Spiked Since October
The surge in these reports hasn't gone unnoticed by consumer watchdogs. The Mid-South Better Business Bureau told Action News 5 it had logged 34 reports over the prior 18 months involving suspicious calls from people claiming to represent AT&T and other wireless providers, with 44% of those reports coming in since October.
AT&T's own account-safety guidance warns customers never to share a PIN or verification code with anyone who calls them, noting on the company's support site that if a customer shares that code, a scammer can sign in as that customer. The warning aligns with how Durham Regional Police, cited by YorkRegion.com, described the mechanics of a similar phone-upgrade scam: victims can be left responsible for the cost of a device and associated service charges, on top of having their data compromised.
Part of a Much Bigger Fraud Problem
These wireless-upgrade schemes fit into a broader imposter-scam landscape.
Other variations of the con have surfaced as well. A podcast from AARP described a case involving a customer named Nate Lewis, who received a voicemail claiming his existing account qualified for a 50% discount on his monthly bill and the possibility of a free phone, part of a reshipping scheme the organization detailed in its reporting.
The Delaware man's experience stands as another example of a phone-upgrade scam.
