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If T-Mobile is trying to offer you compensation for its price hikes, you're probably being scammed

Published: Sep 26, 2024, 4:40 AM

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Are you still angry with T-Mobile for raising your service rates a little while back, adding a bunch of new taxes and fees to your monthly bill, and making it harder for many subscribers to get those (cheap) freebies everyone seems to love so passionately? That's totally understandable, but you should be extra-careful not to let that anger cloud your judgment in a way that might cost you a lot more than $2 or $5 a month.

No, the "Un-carrier" is (probably) not sorry about charging you more now than just a few months ago, and if a so-called T-Mo rep calls you to offer a discount and/or gift to make up for all your recent sorrow, they're most likely lying. Redditor "only_1_" was this close to finding that out the hard way, purportedly dodging a massive bullet at the last minute following a far too lengthy conversation with a pretty skilled scammer.

A cautionary tale to remember

Said scammer gained the trust of this particular T-Mobile customer by supplying a scary amount of accurate information related to his account, including the types of devices, number of lines, types of plans, billing amount, billing address, and email address associated with said account.

We can only imagine where all this info came from in the first place, but luckily for "only_1_", there was still a key piece missing from the scammer's nefarious puzzle. Specifically, a credit card number, which the hero of our cautionary tale was careful not to hand out on the phone despite how good a deal he was offered.

Actual T-Mobile reps will always call you from numbers you recognize and trust. | Image Credit -- T-Mobile

Perhaps the scariest part of the story is that the trust built by the scammer as detailed above was further solidified with a text message seemingly sent from a legit T-Mobile number. It's not entirely clear how that was even possible without this mystery caller actually being a T-Mobile employee, but the content of said text (combined with the nature of the conversation) was another red flag for the target of the attempted cyber-attack.

That's because wireless service providers explicitly instruct their users not to repeat one-time PINs sent by text to a voice caller unless the call was initiated by the customers themselves. That was obviously not the situation here, and as soon as the request for a credit card number came up, "only_1_" decided to exit the conversation and start a new one with a legit T-Mo representative. Fortunately, everything on this particular user's account was in apple-pie order when the rep performed a quick verification, and a valuable lesson was learned.

Three simple principles to live by

Don't pick up the phone!
Hang up as soon as you notice any red flags!
NEVER share sensitive information on the phone!

Yes, it might seem hard to navigate the cybersecurity challenges of our era, and it's certainly true that some hacking attempts are too sophisticated and complex to avoid for most regular mobile users.

But that's not really the case here, as following any one of the three above recommendations can easily get you out of trouble in many such situations. Is someone calling you from a number you don't recognize? They're almost definitely not a carrier representative, so you should reject the call and block the number.

No, T-Mobile doesn't have any deal in place for users angry with its recent price hikes. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena

If you do answer the call out of curiosity, boredom, or any other reason and you're asked for passwords, PINs, social security numbers, or financial information of any sort, just laugh and hang up! If you have any doubts, you can call the operator yourself and make sure you're indeed not eligible for some irresistible, out-of-the-blue promotion meant to make up for said operator's rising greed.

While we're on that subject, probably the best advice offered by many Redditors experienced with these types of scam attempts is to not be desperate for deals. If it sounds too good to be true, it's sadly probably not true, and you should walk away before you lose a ton of money.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.