Fake AT&T caller scam uses PIN number to purchase phones

SHALIMAR — The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is alerting residents about a phone scam reported in our area.

A person recently received a phone call from a person indicating he was an AT&T employee. The caller advised he was calling to inform him of an expected service interruption to update the phone from 4G to 5G capacity. The alleged interruption would last approximately 20 minutes.

The caller indicated the victim would receive an automatic AT&T message with a PIN, which the caller needed to complete the update on his phone. The victim received the message (which was formatted like AT&T’s actual automated messages) and provided the pin to the caller.

A short time later, the victim and his wife’s phone went out of service. The victim then received a call from their bank's fraud department. The bank indicated they noticed three unusual charges on their account, made through the victim’s wife’s card, from AT&T.

The total amount was for $1,504.00. It was discovered the charges were made from Dallas, Texas.

The victim contacted AT&T and was ultimately informed the phone number the perpetrator used — 1-888-333-6651 — was flagged in their system as fraudulent.

"The phones had been completely removed from the account and had to be reactivated. The charges were from someone purchasing new phones and adding them to the account," an OCSO media release stated.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fake AT&T caller scam uses PIN number to purchase phones