By January 2016, that number had increased to 2,658 such incidents, representing 6.3% of all identity thefts reported to the FTC that month. In January 2013, there were 1,038 incidents of these types of identity theft reported, representing 3.2% of all identity theft incidents reported to the FTC that month. Records of identity thefts reported to the FTC provide some insight into how often thieves hijack a mobile phone account or open a new mobile phone account in a victim’s name. The Growing Problem of Phone Account Hijacking As far as I’m aware the thief has not been caught and could be targeting others with this crime. It appears she did not actually make use of either phone, suggesting her intention was to sell them for a quick profit. She had acquired the iPhones at a retail store in Ohio, hundreds of miles from where I live, and charged them to my account on an installment plan. I learned that the thief had used a fake ID with my name and her photo. After about two months my carrier sent me the records. So, following the template provided by, I wrote a letter to my carrier requesting all records related to the fraudulent upgrades on my account. Section 609(e) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that companies provide business records related to identity theft to victims within 30 days of receiving a written request. I was interested in learning where the theft had occurred and how much of my personal information was in the hands of the thief. After three trips to my carrier’s retail stores and many hours on the phone, my carrier eventually fixed all the problems and refunded the fraudulent charges. A few days later I received an email about mobile phone insurance that the thief had apparently added to my account. One of my phones had ended up with the wrong phone number and the other one no longer had voice mail. I called my mobile carrier back several times over the next few days to finish cleaning up this mess. I also prepared an identity theft complaint affidavit, which I later printed and took with me to my local police station when I filed a police report.
#Myatt app scams free
Following the checklist, I placed a fraud alert and obtained a free credit report. It includes step-by-step instructions and sample letters to guide victims through the recovery process. is a one-stop resource for identity theft victims.
#Myatt app scams how to
I then logged on to the Federal Trade Commission’s website to report the theft and learn how to protect myself. I logged in to my online account, changed the password, and added an extra security PIN recommended by the fraud department. When I asked how the store authenticated the thief, he told me that employees of stores owned by the mobile carrier would have asked for the account holder’s photo ID and the last four digits of their social security number, but if the theft occurred at another retailer, that might not have happened. The representative agreed to remove the charges, but blamed the theft on me.
I called my mobile carrier’s fraud department and reported what happened. A store employee explained that a thief claiming to be me had gone into a phone store and “upgraded” my two phones to the most expensive iPhone models available and transferred my phone numbers to the new iPhones. The store replaced my SIM cards and got my phones working again. She assumed it was a mistake, and told me to take my phones to one of my mobile carrier’s retail stores.
#Myatt app scams android
The customer service representative explained that my account had been updated to include new iPhones, and in the process the SIM cards in my Android phones had been deactivated. After discovering that another phone on my account also had no signal, I called my mobile carrier on a landline phone. One evening my mobile phone stopped working mid call. This post describes my experiences as a victim of ID theft, explains the growing problem of phone account hijacking, and suggests ways consumers and mobile phone carriers can help combat these scams. My phones immediately stopped receiving calls, and I was left with a large bill and the anxiety and fear of financial injury that spring from identity theft.
#Myatt app scams upgrade
A few weeks ago an unknown person walked into a mobile phone store, claimed to be me, asked to upgrade my mobile phones, and walked out with two brand new iPhones assigned to my telephone numbers.