New Member
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1 Message
Call from 1800-331-0468 - IS THIS AT&T????
I speak chinese, and just so happened this number called me and claim that he calls from AT&T. Here's what happened:
The guy asked if I opened an account with AT&T on 6/5/2023 @10:28am (Beijing time) at Hunan, Changsha Huanghua Airport (an airport in china). He said the AT&T number was 917-495-6039 and from there he was able to say my first name, last name, my phone number, and email correctly. I was very skeptical because as soon as I picked up the call he was asked if I speak Chinese but I'm much more fluent in English than Chinese actually but we went on with speaking Chinese. I denied that I opened that account because I wasn't in China at that time. He said this phone number was reported for scam messaging and required me to obtain a report from the above airport's security to declare that I'm not associated with this number or that I will be banned from having a phone number for 5 years. He then said I have 2 hours to obtain this report and said AT&T must obtain this report within 2 hours. He gave me a fax number of 800-328-1677 and to call back at 800-331-0500 Ext 12 and his name is Hong, Sen with employee # HS5188 and he said he was calling from Dallas, Texas (he actually kept claiming that he was chatting with his manager online the whole time of the conversation and said his manager requested this and that).
1. I was very skeptical and confused, he called me at 12:52pm and I was on the phone with him for 20 minutes.
2. I checked that fax and call back number seems to be legit??
3. I tried to call 917-495-6039 but of course went straight to voicemail after 1 ring.
4. Why did this AT&T employee repeatedly ask me to speak Chinese to them after picking up the phone?? Why would an AT&T employee automatically assume that I speak Chinese??? "Do you speak chinese? Do you speak chinese? DO you speak chinese?" and won't stop until I said "yes" How is it possible for an AT&T worker not being able to speak English??
5. How is it even possible to open an AT&T account in CHINA??? I asked my husband he said he never even heard of AT&T when he was in China, there was no such thing.
6. I asked how was this phone number paid for and he said it was a prepaid phone.
7. How was it even possible for someone in China to open an AT&T account with my info without my passport or ID?
8. I asked for this person to send me a report of this claim and I never received it.
Please help guys!! Thank you!!
ATTHelp
Community Support
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232.9K Messages
1 year ago
Hello, @bunniebun, we understand you were contacted from someone claiming to be with AT&T, about an account that was reportedly opened by you, and you are skeptical about the call.
We are here to help you and point you in the right direction!
If you think your identity was used to establish AT&T service or make account changes without your knowledge, please contact our Global Fraud Management team:
We also recommend to file a police report for identity theft, and hand that over to any of the three major credit bureaus.
Please let us know if you need further assistance. Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.
DiajhanaeJ, AT&T Community Specialist
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sandblaster
ACE - Expert
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64.7K Messages
1 year ago
it is not possible. Definitely a scam call.
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JasonWrongman
New Member
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94 Messages
1 year ago
Caller IDs can be spoofed. They are not a valid method of authentication.
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weirdspam
New Member
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1 Message
1 year ago
I just got a call with basically the same exact context. That a number 917-495-6039 has been opened in my name and the number has been sending harassing messages. I said I was not familiar with this number and it certainly isn't showing up on my account. The person, who is a woman by the name of "Wang, Yun (ID#2027)" said that my phone number was put as the emergency contact number for the 917 number - like what? How does that make sense and the story just changed. She also stated that it was a stolen phone. Anyway, she also advised that I call the police station/precinct in Changsha if this number is not associated with me because that might mean someone is stealing my identify to open up phone lines. But they can't even get my real name straight, so pretty sure it's a scam. She also provided me some address in Dallas TX to look up if I didn't believe her - and said that I need to provide her my identification (ID, passport, etc.) to prove that I am not the person who opened the 917 number - again confusing, because didn't she just say that my identity was used for this already? Anyway, I hung up because nothing made sense.
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npan01
1 Message
9 months ago
smh.
wows got the same call too about this number 917-495-6059, apparently opend either 9/1 or on 9/5, and also to call the changsha airport. he confirmed my phone number but my brother's email address, like ???
gave me a fax number too and when I said I didn't have time to call, said that he could take a verbal confirmation and then also was going to transfer me to someone who could help fill out some kind of form??
I'm just going to call the global fraud team number posted
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s1ng
1 Message
8 months ago
Got the call stating the same: my identity was used to apply for the phone number: 917-495-6039, which was involved in spam. They didn't ask me if I spoke Chinese, but they started talking to me in Chinese.
To my surprise, they have my personal info including the full name, phone number, email address, as well as the zip code (probably the address as well).
My story sounds scary, as they said AT&T was contacted by FCC (Federal Communications Commission) regarding my case. If I don't get it resolved, it could impact my credit history and immigration status.
Some thoughts on other's comments above:
I was told exactly the same - AT&T needs the police report within 2 hours. But they keep talking to me w/o letting me call the police so I felt weird from the beginning.
Then they said: "Since the phone number was applied & approved in China, your case needs to be reported to the Police in China. Are you able to make an international call on your phone?". I said "Yes".
They said: "OK, but AT&T does require this report ASAP. We'll transfer your call there". I said: "It's OK, lemme know the number and I'll give them a call".
They replied: "Why? Your AT&T account will be suspended soon. Do you understand that FCC escalated your case to us? If you don't cooperate, you'll be in trouble".
To my best guess, after transferring me to the Police Department in China (obviously fake), they'd start to ask for something. Either more personal details, or probably money. So you won't need the real fax & callback number provided by them, as they will get what they need if you stay on the call to the very end.
Actually, I asked the REAL AT&T customer service. I was told that AT&T will call you speaking your language ONLY WHEN you set it up as the "preferred contact language" in your account. So there is a chance. But you are correct, it doesn't make sense that the REAL AT&T representative keep asking you this.
To my best knowledge, it is impossible. As there is no mobile carrier that partners with AT&T in China. In the US, there are partnerships ongoing, if I understand correctly. e.g. with the SIM card from the mobile carrier in China, it either shows Verizon or T-Mobile if it is used in the US.
Ironically, the scammer told me: "please be careful. There are scammers pretending us (i.e. AT&T) asking for personal information. Make sure you don't get scammed by that" XD
I hang up while they were "transferring my call", and called AT&T Customer Service. Fortunately I didn't have to wait long. But they keep calling me via different numbers in the next few minutes.
The customer service did a great job, helping me verify my account was not being suspended and also verifying that the number didn't exist in the system.
I was then transferred to AT&T's Fraud department, which in the end, was a nightmare. I was redirected several times. Each time I have to repeat my basic info and explain what happened. Later I was told that the account holder needed to be on the call before AT&T proceeded with my call. That's when I lost patience and decided to file it online. What's worse, the website didn't work for me at all, showing some errors upon submit. I really don't get why it is this hard to file a Fraud ticket in AT&T
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MicCheck
ACE - Expert
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14.4K Messages
8 months ago
Unless an account was actually opened in your name or a line added to your account, there's been no fraud (at least by AT&T's definition). Since you've verified there's no actual problem with your account, you can put the matter behind you. It's probably a good idea to change all your passwords and PINs, but that's good practice anyway.
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Kevin12qwaszx
1 Message
6 months ago
I would say it is a scammer with data collected or sold by a random chinese person in China. I just came back a trip from there and then I suddenly getting scam call and text from Chinese languages.
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ew69
2 Messages
30 days ago
was this resolved? having a very similar case, even down to the phone number only the last 4 digits are different for me
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dwill05
ACE - Master
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11K Messages
30 days ago
@ew69 Was what resolved? The OP got called by a scammer who spoofed a number that came up as AT&T. Did you get a similar call and give up your personal info?
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