Forum Discussion
Fraudulent activity by a TMobile employee switching my SIM # to a new device to steal funds
Hola,
Sorry for the long post to follow.
Here is what happened to me recently. On Sunday 1/19/2020 around 2:30pm, I noticed that I lost T-Mobile network connection. Everybody around me, including those with T-Mobile network were fine, with 4-5 signal bars. I assumed it was a phone/setting issue, rebooted the phone, reset the network setting, but nothing. Removing the SIM and re-entering did nothing either. I decided to turn off my phone for a little bit then an hour later, when I turned it on, I still had the same issue, WIFI was working though. I decided to try my friend's SIM to see if it was a phone issue or SIM and network connection came back so it was a SIM issue. I decided to call TMobile with my friend's phone that evening and they were able to reactivate my phone. I asked them what happened and they said that they were not sure, most likely a glitch.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning 1/21/2020 at 4am (I wake up early), I checked my bank account and see that there was a unauthorized transfer from my bank to my coinbase (a site where you trade cryptocurrency). I immediately tried to logon to coinbase but my logon and pw were not working. I set up a 2steps verification for coinbase where you also need to receive a text to your phone and enter the code before you can successfully login to the site.
It was at that point that I realized what happened. Someone had taken over my SIM that Sunday so that they could receive the text verification. After I called my bank to dispute the charge, after I called coinbase to lock my account, I started to do some research online which confirmed that the SIM hacking was a real thing but they said that someone would have to call the phone company and impersonate me, and know my 6 digit password in order to make any change to the account. I immediately called Tmobile to find out if that was the case. The rep told me that she only saw my calls requesting to reactivate my phone and that no one else called. She then said that there was only a "Follow-up" showing on my account that day. I asked what a "Follow-up" was and she said it was when the customer opens a case and that a rep goes back into the account later to follow-up. It was at that point that she realized that the rep switch my SIM to another device. She immediately raised the issue of fraud, asked me to hold then went to talk to a supervisor. She came back saying that a fraud case has been opened and that they will investigate. As for me, I had nothing to worry about and that they added some extra protection on my account so that it never happens again. But that that was it and I would have to deal with the banks to get my money back.
I spend the rest of the day checking my credit, changing all my passwords, adding a red flag to my 3 credit reports, then this morning, found out that another $2500 has been transferred out of one of my account. The banks were fine to deal with and said they will dispute the charges but I have to wait for the inquiry and a determination will be made after. On the other hand, the crypto website coinbase, told me that I was on my own and that they only insured the lost money if their entire site was hacked and said that I should have protected my account better.
I called TMobile right after to inquire if they had a fraud team or legal team I could talk to but the only thing I received was the following address: Tmobile wireless legal department
12920 South East 38 street
Bellevue Washington 98006
It has been a nightmare for the last 2 days, the level of stress is out of control and all I get from T-Mobile is a sorry but that’s all we can do.
So the question is, isn’t T-Mobile responsible for this given that it was an employee who did this?
Note: I am assuming only an employee would have access to their system unless their whole system got hacked and that would be a bigger issue…
I only know it was someone with access to the Tmobile system because the rep on the phone told me.
But even if it was someone impersonating me without my 6 digit code (unique password that I use for TMobile by the way, not written down anywhere and that nobody knows), how would they be able to request to move my SIM info to a new device without a misstep from someone given that they don’t have the password to the account?
Sorry for the long post. Hopefully someone from Tmobile will read this and can provide me assistance.
Gracias,
Khoi
Note: If your phone suddenly loses cellular network and everybody around you on the same network are fine, remember to call your cell phone provided immediately to avoid what happened to me.
Gosh, that's a nightmare of a situation especially considering you may not be able to get those funds back from coinbase. I know that with every day passing you need more answers. Unfortunately, this is a situation that only our fraud team can handle. I hate to repeat the same info you've been given multiple times, but we have to allow the fraud department to research what exactly happened which will determine the outcome.
I don't have coinbase, but is there provision for 2fa other than sms? Using SMS for 2Fa is a bad idea if you have something vital. I would suggest using at least TOTP instead of sms. With TOTP, even if someone SMS hijack your phone, they won't have the TOTP. I would recommend going further and use a hardware key.
So, the nightmare continues but this time it is because of the SIM lock I added to the account.
I purchased 2 new iphones and have not been able to transfer the SIM to the new eSIM on the new phones for the past 24 hours.
I called tmobile, called the store, and this is something I can only do on the phone. The phone reps told me they needed to send a request to specific team to remove the lock before I can do the SIM swap. It has been 24 hours and I am still unable to do anything.
I am sure it will eventually get resolved but having to go through this every time I get a new phone is frustrating. I told them I needed the SIM block to be re-added once the SIM swap has been completed just to be safe.
Screen shots don't lie Hello to whom it may concern. My name is Karl Veal. I have a very small podcast on all apps and I have come across a story regarding Tmobile and their operations when it comes to closing customer accounts. I have a gentleman with screen shots from as low as messaging agents all the way up to high up managers at tmobile displaying absolutely disgusting behavior towards this individual concerning very eye opening dealings with his account personally. The genteman has everything including agents adding phone lines with promised equipment limit doubling and taking the phone orders for these new lines and then sending him SIM cards and a message saying hie equipment limit actually was not doubled but the request was denied. Same account has screen shots of conversations regarding a security breach on his account in 2022. A scam artist had actually put in a claim through assurant their phone insurance company and had his phone turned off and a new phone shipped to him in Nyc with the customers own credit card on file with Tmobile. Months later the gentleman had a security breach on his account with Bay and he had reached out to both companies for any information to provide his bank. Just in case it may have been the same account intruder and both companies refused his repeated requests for any information on the name the phone was sent to or the address it was sent to. Any information to help his banks investigation. Really refused any information about even if his account was refunded for this incident because his bank could not confirm. Requests for a formal investigation have still to this day gone unanswered. As recently as today after a months long investigation into missing phones on his account, the gentleman was promised credit on his account that again is acknowledged through screenshots and notes on his account for the time spent on the phone with said company and the inconvenence of an investigation that was promised to last 24 to 48 hours. Giving a little more detail about this specific incident, he reported a delivery marked delivered that he actually had not received. This was reported January 5th and a ticket to start an investigation was not filed until January 9th. Let the company informed him this 4 days tickets had been filed and the company was hard at work. Spending as much as five hours a day those four days calling and messaging the company and the delivery service UPS. On January 17th the customer had to reach out to UPS for a completely different shipment and informed them of his disapproval of damaging his current package through amazon and the wait on their investigation with tmobile a couple weeks prior. The manager in charge of lost packages informed him he was unaware the customers order had not gone as planned and nothing had been filed or notified with UPS. Just today after getting enough of their behavior for the 2nd time. First time ending with a $1600 bill that was refused to be lowered for all the mistakes on the account and forced to come back or erase the bill if he didn't port back. Only this time the gentleman got a port code and informed the company of his intentions to leave. Listed all grounds to leave on his account and then ported the same number and device he had done so on November 10th of 2023 and returned November 24th. Looking at the behavior of every agent he came in contact with this morning im sure any current and future customers mind would be blown. Harrassment and bullying has been shown before but never in this manner. He is denied access back into his account after giving the necessary information to gain access to the account with agents even confirming his account has been confirmed. The minute he asked why his device won't let Verizons sim on the phone and confirm he would like to close the account and pay it off right away suddenly the very same agents can't confirm his account when they are shown to be the department to handle this issue. Tell him he can only call when they are aware his phone will no longer make calls, will not send email confirmation to his email on the account after they repeatedly say the account is closed but will not show hime the final bill until he gives his credit card information in the same secure form 3 agents in a row insisted they don't use to verify account can suddenly be used for credit card information. Information provided to the company include his name, address on file, email on file, account pin, account number, birthdate and verification emails he could have easily accepted. All of this information was provided for the agents to gain access but was continually denied to the customer when he asked about the decrepency of being aloud to transfer his same number and same device in November exactly 11 days after receiving the device on a brand new payment plan and why suddenly his phone is blocked and the the phone itselfs balance is $200 plus down from before and actually on the exact payment plan that was never paid on late and actually his account bills never have once been paid late without ooutsideinterference from tmobille mistakes and his own accounts hacking. Suddenly that same phone needs to be paid off in full before they will allow Verizons sim to be put on it. This same phone that almost at full price was aloud to port from tmobile into Verizon along with 2 other almost full priced newly put on financing device plans devices. Not only that all received new Verizon SIM cards and when ported back all had to be shipped back to tmobile SIM cards. Suddenly this said to be policy on every single account with a device on a payment plan on tmobile. They will not send said policy after multiple requests or let him see the changes they claim to have made on his account. I can't help but wonder how many times this has happened to guests all over the world and unaware agents would verify the account and transfer to correct department to get the issues taken care of and once he asks for the account to be closed and access to said confirmation info he is told numerous times his account count be validated. One agent was asked for a manager I counted ten times and the agent refused and before he ended the talk abruptly the agent deleted every word spoke between them. Two agents actually did this after displaying behavior that I know is illegal and can be proven as illegal. I want to get other victims of this behavior to tell their stories and their cases to interested parties and be able to be heard and compensated fully for the and im sure worse experiences that haven't been reported. This same customer has reached out to the fcc, and etc, and his states attorney generals office and is still waiting on results of their investigation and all tmobile agent made aware of this do not seem to be intimidated by their consequences. So I want this to get as big as possible with what exactly happens when this behavior can be proven in screenshot form and from simply gaining a attorney and demanding those chats in fully. If any go the chats differ in missing sentences or in any way from the screenshots. What has their consequences been? And is this taught behavior through the company and agents in charge. How far up the company is this behavior known and not changed. When do they admit responsibility or how far does it actually have to go. If any of your reporters are willing to help me help you get this story investigated I do have all necessary information in screenshots and the comer is ready to take this to court or advice me off reporters who they know are willing to do this story please email me back at karlveal@gmail.comand please give the first episode of my podcast a listen again caller Live To Tell Podcast with Karl Veal for an idea of how I tell stories and like them to come across. Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to hearing back………Karl
