This is a warning to everyone, regardless of which wireless provider you use: Whether you’ve bought a new phone, added a new line, or taken advantage of a discount, don’t be afraid to ask questions after the purchase. Otherwise, you could end up like one person who revealed their dire situation on Reddit. The T-Mobile subscriber, who goes by the name “ridgiddrill,” said he signed up with the carrier in April.
Right away, we see that part of the problem is that this consumer has no idea about what he’s owed after buying a new phone. Consider the opening sentence of his Reddit post: “On April 28, 2024, I believe I signed some kind of deal with T-Mobile and got a Galaxy S24 Ultra for $400.” But what happened after that isn’t entirely his fault. Every month, when T-Mobile deducts $125.83 in monthly fees on autopay, he’s also charged a ridiculously high amount. For what? He doesn’t know, and apparently can’t find out.
T-Mobile customers suspect an internal compromise is to blame for their monthly bills increasing without them even realizing it. Image credit: Reddit
In May, the additional amount was $454.91. At first, he thought he was paying for a new phone, but the next month he was charged another $791.57 on top of the regular autopay of $125.83. And the month after that he was charged $996.67 on top of the $125.83 autopay. In a three-way call with T-Mobile and the customer’s credit card company (Capital One), the T-Mobile rep who answered the phone was unable to find the amount of the charge.
While the consumer acknowledges that the entire purchase could have been handled better, his first thought was that he may have been the victim of an internal fraud.
“…but you should manage your expenses better. But the reason I titled it an internal fraud is because I didn’t create more than one account. I only have one account and that’s the only charge. I should have dealt with that sooner, but either way, it seems suspicious to me that another charge was made at the exact same time after the first payment. So it’s certainly suspicious and I suspect an internal fraud. That’s not to say I’m opposed to the possibility of external fraud, but I am well aware that there are fraudulent phone companies out there, especially when it comes to SIM swapping.” -T-Mobile customer and Reddit subscriber “ridgiddrill”
Another Reddit user suggested that victims contact T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert by email at mike.sievert@t-mobile.com, while yet another suggested filing a complaint with the FCC by filling out an online form to submit to the regulator. However, not everyone felt that the issue had anything to do with T-Mobile, with some even thinking that a malicious third party had gotten hold of the victims’ credit cards and was using them to make purchases on T-Mobile.
Meanwhile, you’ll be receiving unknown charges on the same day and at the same time your monthly automatic payment is due to occur. One Reddit user said that this exact same thing has happened to them before, thanks to a rogue rep.
“The rep probably grabbed a colleague’s tablet and added autopay to the account that person was working from. He later realized and added it to the correct account but didn’t remove it from the first account. Of course other customers never complain because they’re getting free bills. I saw this exact same thing happen with someone else’s account in this case. Then a customer whose bill someone else paid complained because they were suspended and had a ridiculously high balance. They were told they were responsible for the balance because they hadn’t paid. They ended up canceling and putting all the calls and balances on their own credit.” -Reddit subscriber 21cabbag3
Hopefully, T-Mobile customers will be able to resolve this issue and be refunded the payments they should not have made. But this is a warning: When you make any purchase from your carrier, such as buying a new phone or adding a new line, make sure you understand exactly what you’ll be charged. Buying a new phone and taking advantage of a deal offered by your wireless provider can be confusing. Don’t sign off until you know exactly what your new monthly payment will be.
While we can’t completely rule out the possibility that this was what the victim called an “insider attack,” given the pressure carriers place on their salespeople to meet certain performance and revenue benchmarks, buying a new phone without a clear understanding of how and how much you’ll be paying is not what any smart consumer should do.
