According to The Mobile Report, T-Mobile recently discovered and shut down a fraudulent account setup operation that had been targeting customers in New York City for potentially over a decade.

The telecom giant identified a small group of individuals who were illegally creating T-Mobile accounts and signing up customers without proper authorization. The scheme primarily affected the Asian community in NYC, with victims discovering their phone numbers were being managed by unauthorized parties and facing account termination.

T-Mobile notified affected customers on February 4th that their accounts were “being managed through a third party that is not authorized to represent T-Mobile” and gave them just two weeks to resolve the issue before permanent disconnection on February 18th. The tight timeline left many customers scrambling, particularly those who were traveling or unaware of the problem.

The details that emerged paint a troubling picture of the operation. According to sources close to the situation, the fraudsters created accounts using customers’ information but controlled access through personal email addresses they set up. 

They charged customers full price for phones while purchasing them through installment plans, sometimes on different accounts entirely. One victim reported their billing address was listed as Las Vegas while they lived in New York, and their autopay was connected to the fraudster’s personal debit card—which occasionally got declined, causing service interruptions.

The scheme allegedly victimized elderly customers particularly harshly, with reports of fraudsters even attempting to use victims’ EBT cards to pay other bills. Customers paid hundreds of dollars over the years while believing they were setting up legitimate T-Mobile service, only to discover their accounts were fraudulent.

T-Mobile released a brief statement confirming they identified and shut down “unauthorized reseller activity tied to a small group of accounts” and directed customers to a landing page for assistance. The company emphasized they were “taking care of these customers,” though some affected parties reported losing their phone numbers permanently even after meeting the migration deadline.

This incident highlights the vulnerability customers face when setting up accounts at retail locations and the importance of verifying account setup directly with the carrier. Those who suspect similar fraudulent activity on their T-Mobile accounts are encouraged to contact T-Mobile support immediately to review their account status and ownership.

Source: The Mobile Report