Identity theft. What a nightmare

   / Identity theft. What a nightmare #1  

Complete Turf Care

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South Louisiana
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2022 Kubota Grand L6060 (no loader), 2017 Kubota Grand L6060, 2011 Kubota L5740 HSTC-3, 1997 Kubota M4700
Saturday while quail hunting with family, I got a text saying someone wanted to 'port' my cell number to another carrier. About 30 minutes later, when I got back to the truck, I called the number in the text message and was told that the 'port' had already been done, and then my phone went dead. I had no more service.
Within 5 minutes, my son in law called AT&T to try to stop someone from stealing my number. We stayed on the phone with At&T for 2 hours and could not get my number back.
As soon as I got home, I got on my desktop and started trying to stop them from getting into everything. Over the afternoon, they got into my quickbooks, paypal, one credit card, my email accounts, and I don't know what all else.
I spent all afternoon changing passwords and emails on accounts. The problem was that most of them had my cell number to receive a second verification code, but I didn't have my cell phone.

I did stop at the AT&T store and had them put a new sim card in my phone so that I could make calls. Today, Sunday, I did get my number back. Now I have 2 numbers on my phone. I'll have to keep the new one I just got because I changed all my accounts to that number for text verification.

I did file a report with the sheriff's department. And, I think I have the guys name, because I got a call from someone in California today and got his name and number from that call. I looked him up and he has a criminal record. I'll tell the detectives.

My lesson for today is....if you get a text that someone is trying to 'port' or steal your number, call your carrier right away, and don't wait 30 minutes like I did.
 
   / Identity theft. What a nightmare #6  
I feel for you...been down that hell hole...and the fun is just beginning. You have 3-6, maybe 9 months to find out if anything was opened up in your name.

I would call the 3 main credit reporting bureaus and have them put a lock on your accts so that nothing new can be opened.
 
   / Identity theft. What a nightmare #7  
I got a text saying someone wanted to 'port' my cell number to another carrier

I called the number in the text message

My lesson for today is....if you get a text that someone is trying to 'port' or steal your number, call your carrier right away, and don't wait 30 minutes like I did.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER call or respond to the number in any such message or email. Contact the company in question at a number you KNOW to be true and valid. Your call to that number is likely what triggered all of this. Had you not responded to it, none of it would have happened, 30 minutes, 30 seconds or 30 days later.

When in doubt, check it out. Verify any number before replying.
 
   / Identity theft. What a nightmare #9  
I would call the 3 main credit reporting bureaus and have them put a lock on your accts so that nothing new can be opened.

Who sent you the text?

MoKelly

AT&T did.

Some source CLAIMING to be AT&T did. Part of the scam is the spoofing of the source.
 
   / Identity theft. What a nightmare
  • Thread Starter
#10  
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER call or respond to the number in any such message or email. Contact the company in question at a number you KNOW to be true and valid. Your call to that number is likely what triggered all of this. Had you not responded to it, none of it would have happened, 30 minutes, 30 seconds or 30 days later.

When in doubt, check it out. Verify any number before replying.
But the number was a legitimate AT&T number. I had to call the same number later to get my number back. I thought I had screwed up too. But I found the same number on AT&T's web site, and in an email I got from the at&t team that was working on my case.
 

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