Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- An AT&T rep was arrested in Connecticut for adding unauthorized charges to at least 30 accounts, though the number may be much higher.
- While this isn’t necessarily a widespread issue, combined with regular complaints about unauthorized charges from all three carriers around places like Reddit — it’s obvious that unexpected charges can and do happen.
- While many unauthorized charges are down to legit errors, bad actors exist and it’s important to stay vigilant.
I’m a regular wallflower on the various carrier subreddits, and I’ve seen customers from all three of the big networks occasionally complain about charges added to their accounts without permission, such as phones they didn’t ask for or an upgraded plan that wasn’t necessary. This is true of
Verizon,
AT&T, and
T-Mobile, and while less common, similar practices aren’t unheard of from some of the prepaid providers either. While not exactly the same,
I even previously covered a Verizon 5G Home internet issue where a 3rd party rep made claims that proved to be untrue.
I hear the word “scam†thrown around pretty loosely online, but it does make you wonder: how often are these changes accidents versus acts of bad faith from reps trying to improve their commissions by any means? We may never know that answer for sure, but a recent arrest highlights the very real risk involved.
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