11/18/2023 0 Comments Seattle hijacking audioYou can set up a PIN to use instead, but the only way to do so is to call them. Manage extra security simply tells AT&T to ask for your passcode in more situations, like managing your account in a retail store.īy default, T-Mobile asks account verification questions to determine identity. You should go through both of these processes. Look for two options: Get a new passcode and Manage extra security. You'll need to log into AT&T's online portal. If you forgot your PIN, you can sign in to your online account and change it in the Security & Preferences section.ĪT&T customers aren't required to set a PIN, but you should. Try to pick a question that can't easily be found in a Google search. Sprint also requires a security question as a backup and lets you pick from a list. Sprint also requires a PIN as part of a customer's account setup, so if you're with Sprint, you should already have one. Log in with your Verizon account when prompted. If you didn't, or you forgot your PIN, go to the company's PIN FAQ page, and click on the "Change Account PIN" link. If you're a Verizon customer, you should have set up a four-digit account PIN when you started the service. Unfortunately, while Sprint and Verizon make that extra security a requirement for all new customers, AT&T and T-Mobile do not. Thankfully, the four major carriers do have options. Considering how easy identity theft is, the primary goal is to put additional barriers in place. You can take steps to prevent account hijacking from occurring in the first place (or again). This prevents you from repeating unnecessary steps and gives you a semblance of control over the process. Keep a log of everyone you contact and every step you take. Now, contact your phone carrier again with any paperwork they requested (including the police report) and ask how to reverse all charges if it hasn't already been done.īe prepared for this process to take some time-sometimes, days or weeks. Explain what happened and get a copy of all the paperwork. Be sure to have any proof on hand, like bills from the added lines. Call or visit them and ask how to report the situation. With a credit freeze in place, it's time to report the fraud to your local police department. Still, a credit freeze could prevent other kinds of fraud, so it's worth it. Many phone carriers bypass a credit check in favor of checking billing history for existing customers. A credit freeze should prevent anyone from opening an entirely new account in your name but, unfortunately, it might not prevent upgrade and add-a-line fraud. You might also consider freezing your credit. Next, place a fraud alert on all your credit accounts. You should also ask if your account can be frozen and if you can add a PIN validation (or other security measures) to prevent anyone from adding more lines to your account. Find out precisely what proof they need from you and write everything down. Explain the situation and ask for help solving the problem. The FTC put together a helpful checklist to follow, and we'll be covering some of those steps as well.įirst, call your phone carrier and explain the situation. Take notes on what the company representatives say-especially if they promise to take action or ask you to follow up with more information or paperwork. Write down which companies you called, the date and time, and the name of any person you spoke with. Get a pen and paper and take notes on the process. You shouldn't have to pay for a service you didn't want, and phones you don't have. If you're the victim of account hijacking, it may feel like there's nothing you can do, but that's not true. They would then need to read the PIN to the person on the phone. The representative told the victims they needed to verify their identity and, to do so, Verizon would send a PIN. In early 2019, Verizon customers in Florida started receiving calls about suspected fraud. In other cases, simple phishing tactics are at play. In 2017, Cleveland police arrested three men after linking them to $65,000 worth of cell phone theft, mostly through the use of fake IDs. She discovered her phones turned off after someone posing as her, multiple states away, upgraded her lines to new iPhones. You can find similar complaints on phone carriers' forums as well. You might think that method could only occur close to where you are but, as Lorrie Cranor, a former chief technologist for the FTC found out, that's not the case at all. Sometimes, the perpetrator steals your identity, creates a fake ID with your name and his photo, and then goes to a retail store to buy the phones. Unfortunately, we've discovered more than one answer to that question. At this point, you might wonder how a criminal can buy smartphones with someone else's account.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |